The Red Caress
by Rae Montgomery
Summary: Sam Winchester has found the solution to bringing Dean back from Hell. The only problem is that he must find the sibling of the victim of a cross roads deal to bind herself to him through a ritual marriage.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. I am not making any money off of this and it is for entertainment purposes only. Please don't sue me!

Author's Note: This is my very first fic, Hooray I did it! :) So please Read and Review, I would love to know what you think, good or bad. And don't go easy on me, I want the truth, or how else will I ever improve? I'm sure it will also be fairly obvious that I don't have a beta, so I'm sorry for any mistakes I didn't find, I tried my best.

This takes place directly after season 3 and will most likely disregard the subsequent seasons, but then again, who knows?

P.S. I just did a little editing, so if any of you who have read this before notice any changes, that would be why.

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The Red Caress

Chapter 1

Seven months and twelve days. That was the exact the length of time Sam Winchester had been searching for a way to bring his dead brother back from hell, and it was on this day, seven months and twelve days after Dean had been dragged to Hell, that he found his answer.

Leaning in closer to the ancient book he had been reading from, Sam took in a shuttering breath and willed his rapidly beating heart to slow. Rereading the text for the third time to be sure he had translated the faded Latin correctly, he was finally convinced that it wasn't too good to be true. He could get Dean back, and it wouldn't even involve the selling of his soul, murder or a host of other horrors that his conscience would previously have outright refused to entertain.

Truth be told however, Sam had been willing enough to commit those atrocities if it had meant the difference between getting Dean back or leaving him to rot for an eternity in Hell. Months ago, when Dean's death was still new, and his anger and grief still too raw, he had been all too eager to die or kill, whichever proved to be the most expedient action. Unfortunately, or perhaps luckily depending on how he looked at it, no demon had been willing to deal with him. He had been left alone and dejected at no less than fifty crossroads across the country, with only the ringing of demonic laughter hanging in the suddenly empty air to show for it. It had been a tough lesson to learn, but he had eventually and grudgingly accepted that he would have to search for other methods of resurrection.

But it had all been worth it, the only hurdle between him and his dead brother was the ritual in front of him, waiting to be completed. Sam sighed, getting up from his chair for the first time in hours, stretching his stiff and aching muscles. Making his way over to one of the two queen size beds in the room, a habit he had been unable and unwilling to break, he wearily stripped down to his boxers, flipped off the bedside lamp, and crawled under the rumpled covers.

Starring up at the dark ceiling, the last of the adrenaline from his find finally wore off, leaving only anxiety about the next step of the plan. This ritual was like nothing Sam had ever come across, and if he hadn't just been staring at it with his own eyes he would have thought it nothing more than an imaginative myth. It wasn't to summon or banish, cleanse or seek out, but to bind. To bind him to a virgin woman in a type of archaic marriage ceremony, a woman who had lost a sibling in the same way as the man she was to be bound to. Along with a few other unsavory details that the ritual demanded, it actually wasn't the worst thing to have to do. He deliberately ignored the unanswered questions concerning the consequences to all parties involved after the fact. And if there was one thing that Sam knew with a certainty, it was that there was always a price to be paid. Sam stifled a groan into his pillow, he would worry about the hole he was digging himself into later, he needed to actually do the damn ritual first. How the hell was he supposed to find a woman who fit those qualifications? Let alone one who would even believe him and agree to perform the ceremony. In all his years as a hunter he had only ever heard a scarce few rumors about midnight deals done at backwoods crossroads, to find a real case of this would be nothing short of impossible. He suppressed a grim smirk at this thought, his life was nothing if not full of the impossible.

The hours ticked by slowly, and Sam eventually drifted into a restless sleep, and for the first time in months he dreamed.

…48 days later

A fierce wind tugged at the openings of Sam's jacket, forcing him to cross his arms tightly across his chest as he trudged determinedly across the snow covered sidewalks of the college town. He was on the last name of his short list of possibilities, and if she didn't work out…well, he wasn't ready to admit to that possibility yet.

Since the day he stumbled across his brother's salvation, Sam had managed to find eleven people who had lost siblings to a deal with a cross roads demon. Ironically enough, it had been a cross roads demon herself who had given him the information he was seeking. A demon proof Devil's trap, the liberal use of holy water, and the threat of being exorcised to Hell went a long way to loosening that bitch's lips. Of the eleven people on his list, only five had been female. He had visited four of the five candidates already, but they were all out of the running. Two were no longer virgins, one of which was old enough to be his grandmother, the other a middle aged woman with three children, the third had committed suicide years ago after the heinous death of her brother, and the fourth was no more than thirteen years old.

So here he was, on the doorstep of his last hope, praying to God and anyone else that would listen that she be the one. Pulling himself up to his full height, Sam drew in a steadying breath before pressing the buzzer to apartment number eighty eight, the home of twenty-two year old Rae Montgomery.

"Hello?", a female voice questioned over the intercom.

Clearing his throat Sam replied, "Um, Miss Montgomery?"

"Yes…who is this?" answered the uncertain voice.

"Hi, my name is Sam Winchester, I was wondering if I could talk to you about your sister, Ruth?", he asked in his most sincere and innocent voice.

There was a long pause before she answered, "What do you want to talk about, she's dead." She responded sharply, her voice suspicious and cold.

"Uh, yeah I know, that's what I wanted to talk about. I recently lost my brother, the same way as your sister. I think we both know that it wasn't their time." Sam shifted nervously, hoping he hadn't blown his chance, that she understood what he was cryptically trying to say. The silence dragged on and he felt compelled to speak. "Uh, I read the report on her death. I know you were there, I can tell you what really happened…the truth I mean. If you want to know."

After another tense silence Sam heard another buzz, and a click as the door before him unlocked. The intercom sounded again, "Please come in Mr. Winchester." It was the sound of hope.

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The usual stuff, I don;t own it, yada yada ya.

Author's Note: Another edited chapter. Reviews Please!

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The Red Caress

Chapter 2

She had already opened the door and was standing tensely against its frame by the time Sam had made it up the flight of stairs and down the hall to her apartment. Automatically sizing the woman up, Sam found no immediate problems with her tall and slender frame. He was also pleased to note that she wasn't even unattractive, with thick dark brown hair brushing her shoulders, fair skin, and large blue eyes. A little young for him maybe, but nothing he couldn't work with. Although he knew that all these factors that made her more appealing to him were likely working against him as well, she may not be a virgin. Sam still shuddered at the thought of Trina, the middle aged mother on his list. She had been about twenty pounds overweight, with frizzy red hair and a buck toothed lisp. He had been very glad when he looked down and saw her pregnant belly and the children hanging off her legs. That was a bullet dodged. He could vividly imagine the dumbfounded and disgusted expression that would be Dean's reaction had he been forced to make due with her. It had made him smile, until he remembered that Dean was still in Hell, and then he had only hurt.

She straightened up at the sight of Sam, and he shook himself out of the memory and slowed down as he took uncertain steps closer. He saw her eyes widen as she took in his full height, and she gave a quick glance down the hall, clenching her fists discretely when she saw that they were alone.

Deciding that a straightforward address would be best, Sam extended his hand to introduce himself. "Hi Rae, I'm Sam Winchester. Thanks for agreeing to talk with me."

Hesitantly shaking his hand, Rae stepped back into her apartment and gestured for Sam to enter. "Come on in, I've got some water on, you want tea or coffee?" She said this in a voice that betrayed her uncertainty in meeting with him, making him think that it was only good manners that resulted in her offer.

Sam followed her in and made his way over to the small kitchen table, turning back to face Rae, "Coffee would be great, thanks." he accepted, if only to have something to occupy his hands with. He glanced around the room and noted the pictures hanging on the walls, sitting on shelved and taped to the fridge. He could distinguish group photos with her friends and a few family ones as well, but to his relief, none that looked to be of her and a boyfriend.

Rae had moved the kettle off the flame, pouring the steaming water into two mugs.. "Have a seat." she said, motioning to the chair, giving him a sideways glance. Leaning back onto the counter as she stirred the coffee she finally met his eyes, "You're not a cop.", she stated without question. Sam merely gave her a surprised look that she thought he might be and shook his head. "I've dealt with enough of those idiots, who either think I'm batshit crazy, guilty of killing my own sister myself, or both. As if they didn't all see her body themselves, as if a person could do that." The venom in her voice made Sam very glad that he had decided against using his fake FBI ID to talk to her.

"And you're not a reporter either, you don't have the look, and they're not half as polite as you either." She added with a smirk. Sam couldn't help but give her a small smile of his own in return. There was something about this girl he liked. Tapping the spoon in her hand against the rim of the cup she finally slid Sam his coffee. "So the way I see it you're either crazy, and you really do believe what you're trying to sell me, or you're another doctor my parents have sent to cure me of my delusions. Although I must say, you would certainly be the cruelest one I've met so far if that's the case, pretending to believe me and all. So what's it going to be then?" she concluded, looking at him expectantly, daring him with her hard yet tired eyes to deny the truth.

Sam couldn't say he was surprised by her reaction, he hadn't been expecting her to just trust him, but he hadn't been prepared for what he had seen behind her eyes. She had obviously been through more than he could imagine and he knew he needed to handle her carefully, he only had one shot. "Then why did you let me up here? Why talk to me if you believe I'm any of those people?" he questioned.

"Because you're not the fist, or even the twentieth, person to come knocking on my door. I've learned that the easiest way to get rid of them is to let them in. Ignoring them only makes them try harder." Sam could hear the truth in this statement, but he could tell that there was more. She wouldn't look him in the eyes, instead she fiddled with her tea, a frown on her face.

Taking a chance, Sam leaned in closer to her across the table. "I think it's more than that, I think that you know what you saw, and you're waiting for the person who will finally, really and truly believe you to come." Putting a pleading look onto his face, Sam prepared himself to tell the truth. "I'm being totally honest with you, I'm not a reporter, and I'm definitely not a cop or a doctor or anything like any of those other people who have come before. I lost my brother Dean nine months ago, the same way you lost Ruth. You're not crazy, I know the truth. That's why you let me in, some part of you wants to trust me."

Sniffling, and wiping at her damp eyes, Rae picked up her own mug of tea and sat down across from Sam. Fiddling with the string on the tea bag, she spoke in a trembling voice, "I want to believe you, I don't want to be crazy. And you're right, for some inexplicable reason I want to trust you, because I know what I saw, and I don't want to be alone with this weighing on my shoulders forever." She paused for a moment, and taking a deep breath began again, "But I'm not stupid or naive either. Why should I believe you? If you really are telling the truth, why do you think you know what happened? And for that matter, how would you know?" At this she glared at him, willing him with her eyes to even try and lie to her.

Giving Rae a steadying look, Sam replied, "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound unbelievable, but I'm desperate, and you're my last chance." At that statement Rae gained a thoughtful yet quizzical expression, but she didn't interrupt him, and so Sam took that as a signal to continue.

"What I do, what Dean and I did, before he died, we call ourselves Hunters. Those 'invisible creatures' that killed Ruth and Dean are Hell Hounds. They were killed by them because they made a deal with a demon, and their contract was up. I know all this because hunters kill monsters; ghosts, werewolves, vampires, well you name it and we've probably killed it." Here he paused, studying Rae's face to see how she was dealing with the information thus far.

Rae, for the most part, looked rather calm. The only clue that she had understood the outrageous tale Sam had been telling her was her eyes, which had gone round with surprise. Slowly, her lips parted. At first no sound emerged, but after clearing her throat she finally managed to speak, "Tell me more about the Hell Hounds, and about the part where she made a deal with a demon." Her voice was shaking and soft, but the set to her shoulders and the expression on her face left no doubt that she expected an answer.

Sam was stunned at how calmly she seemed to be taking it all in, he had expected a little more resistance before she accepted his story as the truth. He had no doubts now, she was the one. "Uh, well I don't know about your sister, but Dean made a deal to save my life. Well, bring me back to life is more like it. I was killed, and Dean was desperate. So he went to the cross roads and summoned a demon." Here Sam had to pause, emotion threatening to choke him off. Pulling himself back together, he continued, "Most of the time, when a person makes a deal, they get ten years. But my family doesn't have a great history with them, so Dean only got one. They came to collect him, and I've been searching for a way to save him ever since."

It was at the word 'save' that he saw Rae react like she had been shocked. For the first time since he began, he was interrupted. Rae had gotten up and was now pacing the small kitchen, back and forth, back and forth. He could see tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Sam let her pace, and a few minutes later she finally stopped. Leaning her arms on the table, her face was brought directly in front of Sam's. "Are you telling me that these Hellhounds killed my sister, ripped her to shreds in front of my eyes, because she had sold her soul? That she, they're in Hell? Is what you're saying, do you mean, did they die for us?" Her eyes begged him to disagree, to tell her she had it all wrong, that it was all a gross misunderstanding.

At this, even Sam couldn't keep his own tears from overflowing as he nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what they did."

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, its characters or anything else for that matter. Must I do this every time?

Author's Note: I had a bit of fun writing this scene, I've always wanted an excuse to start breaking things. Hehe. :)

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Chapter 3

The explosion of emotions from Rae was violent and unexpected, Sam had to suppress the urge to push his chair back and away from her. Kicking her chair back and away from her so hard that it fell onto its back, she screamed, "You're a liar! You son of a-how dare you? What are you trying to do, is this funny to you? Is this how you get off, telling people their loved ones are in Hell?" Her face was red and she was breathing heavily through her nose, her teeth clenched in a scowl. She had been moving steadily closer to Sam, looking feline and dangerous, ready to claw and maim him at the least provocation. If Sam hadn't been twice her size and the seasoned hunter that he was, he might actually have feared her.

Trying to get the conversation back under control, Sam lifted his hands in a placating gesture and opened his mouth to explain, but she cut him off before he could even get a word out.

"Don't you even try it! Get out, stay the hell away from me, you're a piece of scum!", she shouted, pointing to the door. When Sam showed that he had no intention of moving before he had had his say, she picked up her mug of tea and threw it at his feet. The glass shattered into every corner of the kitchen, the tepid liquid staining the cuffs of Sam's jeans.

When she made to grab the second mug Sam finally stood up to his full and considerable height and spoke calmly and slowly, "I know you don't want to believe this, but we might be able to get your sister back, we could save her and my brother. But you have to listen to me, we have to do this together." He could see the fear in her eyes, part of it because of him, a stranger alone with her who could overpower her without a struggle. But he knew that the majority of it was because she could see the truth of his words, and they scared her more than believing herself crazy. "They may be dead now, but they don't have to stay that way. If nothing else, don't you at least want to know what really happened, to know you aren't crazy even if I' the only other person who believes you?" he spoke, in almost a whisper.

This stopped Rae in her tracks, "Don't, please don't do this to me. I'm just starting to get over her death, I can't do it all over again. You can't say things like that to me, please.", she begged. She was crying again and her bottom lip was quivering. "Please just go, you don't have to say anything else, I'll forget you were ever here."

Sam knew he had her now, Rae might think he was crazy, but she was desperate enough to go along with him anyway, she just needed the right push. Knowing that she was too overloaded with information to handle anything else tonight, he decided that now was the time to make a hasty exit. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his father's battered journal. Preparing himself for the risky move he was about to make, he hesitantly reached up and placed his hand on Rae's shoulder. She jerked at the contact, but didn't move away from his touch.

"This journal will tell you everything you need to know, more than you'll want to, probably. This was my father's, and it's pretty much been our family Bible since before I can remember. It's the story of my life, I want you to read it, so that you can understand. My cell number is inside, and if you believe me when you're done, you'll know what we need to do."

Rae had taken the journal in her shaking hands, and was holding it as though she wasn't sure if she wanted to throw it on a fire or clutch it close to her chest like a life saver. "I know what I saw Sam, it happened. But Hell? As much as I want her back, she's dead, and it isn't going to happen. I have to believe she's gone somewhere better..", she said. Her thin shoulders shrugged forward and the mask Sam hadn't even realized she had constructed finally fell away. With a start Sam realized just how young and alone she really was, what a large burden she had been carrying all this time.

"Just read it, please. If you haven't called in two days I'll be back to see you. It's all true Rae, and I swear to you, we can save them, we can have them back. You just need to trust me." At this Sam walked to the door, turning around one last time to look at her before he quietly walked out into the dark.

Sam let himself into the motel room, dropping his duffel on the floor and flopping down onto the nearest bed. It had been a long night. After he had left Rae's apartment he had pulled the Impala around to the back of her building, parking in an inconspicuous corner with a perfect view of her living room, and of her. He was ashamed to admit that he was acting like an obsessed stalker, but she was too important to take chances with. So he sat there in Dean's car and watched her. For the first hour all she did was cry, and Sam couldn't help but sympathize. He had grown up in this life, and he was still in disbelief about what had happened to him, he couldn't imagine how she was dealing with this.

Eventually however, long after Sam's legs had fallen asleep and he was contemplating leaving, she had finally picked up the journal. For a long while she only stared at its worn cover, as if stealing herself for what she would find inside. But then she opened it, and she didn't close it again until she had read every page. She stood up, turned off the lights, and went to bed. Sam waited another hour, and when he was sure that sleep was the only thing she would be doing that night, he left.

So here he was, alone at another motel, lonely. He was so close to having Dean back, and it felt as though the pain of his loss was increasing the closer he came to saving him. He wondered what Rae had been thinking while she read the journal. Every creature they had ever encountered, and almost as many myths and lore on things they hadn't, were included in there. And that wasn't including the pages on the ritual, which he had painstakingly copied, he had left nothing out. It was a lot for a young woman to have to give up, dreams to be dashed before they were even fully formed. But he had to believe that she would realize that they had even more to gain.

Sam lay awake until the first light of day made its way past the flimsy motel curtains.

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I love Supernatural and I love Sam, but they aren't mine.

Author's Note: A little more editing, but no major changes.

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Chapter 4

The abrupt ringing of a cell phone broke the thick silence of the gloomy motel room, startling Sam out of his self induced stupor. Rolling off the bed so quickly that he landed on his hands and knees on the brown shag carpet, he crawled his way to the offending object on the side table. In his haste to answer before the caller hung up, he fumbled and nearly dropped the phone, swearing to himself over his newfound clumsiness. "Hello…hello?", he asked twice into the silence. Hearing no reply, Sam held the phone out to check the caller ID. He felt his heart speed up when he saw that it was Rae.

"Rae? Are you there, is everything alright?", he asked, feeling more nervous than he had expected. It was only seven in the morning, meaning she could only have gotten a few hours of sleep, considering he had left her apartment and driven back to the motel around three a.m. Listening more closely, he heard the soft sound of breathing on the other end of the line.

"Hi Sam, I'm sorry, did I wake you?", she asked quietly. She sounded tired, and Sam guessed that she had gotten about as much sleep as he had that night, meaning none.

"No! No, not at all, I'm awake. Ah…how are you doing?" Sam wondered about the reason for Rae calling him so soon. He had been expecting that he would have to go to her, not the other way around.

"I read the journal…all of it. I was awake all night thinking about it. I was wondering if you could come over to talk. I called in sick from classes today, or tomorrow's Saturday, so whenever you have the time is fine. Or we could just talk on the phone if you want, I mean it doesn't have to be right now, but soon would be good, or-", she was rambling nervously, so Sam interrupted before she could go any further.

"Rae! I can come right over, its not a problem. I would just be sitting around waiting for your call anyway, so it's perfect." Sam hoped this was reassuring rather than pathetic.

"Oh, good, that's good." Sam could hear the relief in her voice, as though she was afraid it had all been a dream and she about to be forced back into her previous reality.

Sam was anxious to see her, and as he was about to hang up and head out, he realized that he was still in yesterdays clothes and a day past a much needed shower. "Uh, hold on, can we push this back an hour? I could use a shower.", he added sheepishly.

At this Rae actually laughed, and Sam was surprised at how pleasant it sounded to him. "Even better, I could use one too. I'll see you in an hour then.", she confirmed, and hung up.

Sam sighed and leaned back against the head board. That conversation had gone really well considering their previous meeting. He was actually looking forward to seeing Rae today, this was the turning point. Deciding to stop speculating about what might happen, he headed to the bathroom so that he could actually find out. Today was going to be a good day, he could feel it.

Knocking on Rae's door, Sam couldn't help but fidget. He knew that his first impression had already been made, but now that she knew everything, he knew she would be seeing him in a different light, and he wanted it to be a good one. When the door finally opened, and he got his first glimpse of Rae since yesterday, Sam realized she hadn't been kidding when she said she had been up all night. Although she looked neat and clean, the dark bags under her puffy eyes, and the sallow tint to her skin gave her away. She did however give him a small smile when she saw him, so he took that as a good sign.

"Thanks for coming." She opened the door wider for him to pass by, and Sam could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen. When she noticed him looking, she blushed and said, "I figured you wouldn't have had time to get some before you came, and I promise not to throw anything at you today. Well, I'll try at least."

Sam let out a chuckle, and he saw her relax when she realized he wasn't angry. He moved to sit in the same chair as before, but she stopped him with a gentle hand to his arm. "I thought we might be more comfortable in the living room. This might be a while?", she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I see your point." he agreed, and switched directions, sitting on the end of her overstuffed beige couch. He silently watched her as she poured him a cup of coffee and moved to sit on the opposite side of him, handing him the chipped mug as she passed. He casually sipped on his drink as he waited for her to start talking. She drew out the inevitable by rearranging the pillows and re stacking the magazines on the coffee table. When she had smoothed out the wrinkles on her tee shirt for the third time, she looked up at him from under her lashes.

"I think I believe you." she said very quickly, in an agonized voice, as though it truly pained her to admit to it. Sam was sure his heart nearly stopped. "You're the only person who's given me any explanation about what happened that didn't include the words 'you're crazy' or 'PTSD'."

Sam could see that she was getting agitated as she talked, and she and gotten up again to walk around the room. When she made it to the window she stated to speak again. "And then I started thinking about Ruth, and the days before she died. You know I was in the hospital for a week because they thought I had a brain tumor? I had been getting headaches for almost a month, and they just kept getting worse. And then one day I just passed out. I woke up in the emergency room, and when they told me it was a tumor I thought that was the end. Ruth was so strong, she never let me give up hope." Rae had been staring out the window as she spoke, but she turned back to look at Sam, and he could see that she was crying again.

"She was my best friend. Five and a half years apart and we couldn't have been closer. She was the emotional one of the two of us, if you can believe it.", she joked, gesturing to her watering eyes. "But I could see through her act, she was more scared than I was."

Sam understood this perfectly, that was one thing he and Rae had in common. He remembered Dean's face when he had woken up after Cold Oak. It seemed that over protectiveness and total devotion weren't just a Dean thing, but rather something engrained in every older sibling.

"But then one day she was different, it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She insisted that I get another MRI, and the doctors couldn't explain it, there wasn't a tumor anymore. They said it must have been a mistake with the machine, and Ruth would never tell me how she knew it had disappeared." Rae had made her way over to a shelf full of pictures, and she picked up one in a hot pink frame. Walking back to the couch she handed it to Sam.

"That's the two of us from her twenty seventh birthday, a couple months before she died." Sam was surprised to see that the woman in the photo held little resemblance to Rae, with golden brown curls, olive skin and green eyes, among other things. But then again, most people thought the same about him and Dean too.

"I hadn't really thought about it before, but a couple days before she died she was acting kind of strange. I caught her crying one night, and all she would say was that she didn't know he was serious, she just thought they were talking." Sam looked at Rae with dawning understanding, Ruth had realized she'd made a deal.

Rae nodded, she had figured it all out. "After reading about Dean, and your Dad,", she added hesitantly, having caught the tension of their relationship from the words he'd written about him, "I knew what had happened, and now I can't believe that it was anything else but Hell Hounds. But now I have to get her back. Before I thought she was at peace, but now that I know she's in Hell, and because of me, I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't." She looked Sam straight in the eyes as she said this, and he saw that she spoke the truth.

Taking her photo back from Sam, she added, "So, when do we start?"

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope, its still not mine, too bad.

Author's Note: Please Read and Review! Suggestions, criticism that is constructive or otherwise, and anyhting else you want to comment on is always welcome. :)

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Chapter 5

Sam was stunned, and he knew he must look like an idiot with his mouth hanging open and a dumbfounded expression on his face. "What! Do you understand what you're saying, what you're agreeing to?", he exclaimed, not wanting to talk Rae out of it, but not wanting her to go in blind to the consequences of her actions either.

She stared at Sam in disbelief, "Isn't this why you came here, so that I would help you? Don't tell me you're going to back out now!" He could see her anger starting to build, and backtracked to avoid a repeat of yesterday.

"No! That's not what I meant at all. I just want to make sure you won't have any regrets about this, or think that I took advantage of you. I'm not backing out, that's not even an option for me." he spoke sincerely. Rae settled back down at these words. "I just want you to remember that this is a life changing decision, there's no going back if we do this, it's forever." he said, trying to impress upon her the seriousness of the situation.

"You don't think I know this!" she said, her voice rising. "If what you wrote in the journal was all true, then I understand exactly what I'm about to do. I'm going to marry a complete stranger in some magical ritual, give him my virginity, and get my dead sister out of Hell." She paused here, giving Sam a look that clearly asked if she was correct in her assessment thus far. He nodded his head, yes, so far so good.

"And not only will I being doing that, but I will also be stuck with you for life, so to speak. I'll never be able to have a relationship with anyone else but you. And children, well there goes that idea. I mean I wasn't even sure if I wanted any, but now it doesn't matter because I sacrifice my fertility in this damn ritual! So yes, I know exactly what's in store for me if I do this." She crossed her arms and ended her speech with a dramatic huff of breath.

Despite how serious she was being, Sam had to stifle the urge to laugh at her. Regaining control of himself, he finally managed to speak. "Saying you understand is one thing, but when the time comes will you be able to go through with it? And are you absolutely sure it's worth it?" he asked. He berated himself for even asking, and possibly giving Rae the option to back out. His conscience however, wouldn't let him continue with this until he did.

Rae sighed, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. "Maybe if I still thought Ruth was in Heaven, or a better place, or wherever it is people go, I might have said no. I mean, I miss her so much it hurts, but why bring her back if she's happy where she is? But now that I know she's in Hell, there's no alternative. Giving up a soul mate, and love, and children is a small price to pay to save her from eternal suffering. I mean there's always my next life, right?" She tried to laugh, making light of her situation. "And if you can do it, so can I."

"And you fully understand that even I'm not sure about what might happen to all of us afterwards, that there might be any number of unforeseen consequences, that you might be in real danger? This doesn't all end with us getting Dean and Ruth back, this is something we'll have to live with the rest of our lives." He stared very intently at her face as he said this, making sure she understood what he was telling her.

"I get it Sam, but I just don't care. Ruth is worth so much more to me than any of those things. Having my sister back in my life, and getting to see her live hers, that's what will make me the happiest." Sam couldn't have agreed more.

"So we're really doing this." he spoke in shock. Suddenly, the full weight of what they were about to do hit Sam. Leaning his elbows on his knees and putting his face into his hands, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He felt the couch shift, and then a small hand was timidly patting him on the back.

"It's going to be alright Sam, we can get through this together. It's all for them, don't forget. We're doing this for them." Rae whispered. And to his surprise, he actually believed her. Whatever might come his way now, at least he wasn't alone anymore. Straightening up, Sam gave Rae a smile in thanks.

"Alright, so now that we've established that we are in fact going to attempt to do this, we need to start planning. There's only three days until the next full moon, so if we don't want to have to wait another month, we better get moving." At his words, Rae straightened her shoulders as if preparing herself for battle.

"Just tell me what I need to do.", she said, and then she hesitated as if afraid. "Um, I was wondering, if, I mean when this works, what am I supposed to say about Ruth suddenly being alive again? I saw her die, get ripped to shreds with my own eyes. I mean, we had a funeral for her and everything, is she going claw her way out of her grave, or just appear somehow? How will this work?" she questioned.

Sam decided it would be best just to explain the ritual from start to finish, and all the plans he had made for afterwards. "How about I start from the beginning, I think it'll be easier to understand that way, and hopefully I can head up all the questions I'm sure you'll think of later.", he proposed, and Rae merely nodded in agreement.

Getting serious, Sam continued. "I have an old friend, a priest named Father Luke, and he's already agreed to come perform the marriage." At Rae's raised eyebrow Sam elaborated. "I was planning ahead, and hoping for the best." he admitted sheepishly. "Anyway, the night of the full moon we'll meet him at the cross roads. I've already looked up the one we'll use, it's in the middle of a backwoods state park and should be totally empty, we don't want any interruptions. We'll go early to prepare the herbs and draw out the necessary binding circles. I've already written out the ceremony for Father Luke, and as far as he's concerned, this is just a regular marriage he's doing as a favor to me."

"Right, so no mentioning of dead siblings, Check." she added.

"You'll need to wear a red dress for the ceremony, um…red everything actually." he added, with an embarrassed flush. If he was this uncomfortable just hinting at her underwear, he didn't know how he was going to get through the actual ceremony.

"I suppose I should have expected that, nothing about this ritual is traditional. But why red? Not that I'm complaining, I look much better in red than I do white." Rae added, pointing to her pale skin as evidence.

"Red signifies the sacrifice we are offering in trade for Ruth and Dean. The virgin blood." he added.

"Hey, I was wondering about that! How did you know for sure I was a virgin? You never even asked me, and the whole ceremony depends it. What if it turned out that I wasn't? You had already told me that you could save my sister, what would you have done then?" She looked a bit outraged that he could have overlooked such an important detail.

"Um…I may have made a few discreet inquiries about you. Between the computer and a few well connected people, I was pretty sure you were what I was looking for. I'm sorry about the invasion of privacy, but I needed to be sure." He waited to see what Rae's reaction to this would be.

She sat very still for a moment, her face a blank mask, but finally she spoke. "Normally I'd be pretty pissed, but considering the circumstances, I'll let it slide." Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, Sam picked up where he had left off.

"Yeah, so the priest will marry us, and we'll exchange rings to bind ourselves to each other for the first time." Sam could already see the question on Rae's lips, and answered it before she had to ask. "I already have the rings, they're not the kind you buy in a jewelry store. It must have taken me two months and most of the favors that I've ever been owed to get them."

Rae raised her brows at this. "Those must be some rings." she commented.

"They are." Sam agreed. He didn't mention that the rings were a few centuries old and had been spelled by a witch in order to keep her husband's wandering eye in check. "At that point the priest will leave. I bought a tent for us, I'll set it up inside the circle, and that's where, uh, the second binding takes place."

Rae flushed, a pink blush appearing on her fair cheeks. "You mean when we have sex." Sam nodded, grateful that he didn't have to be the one to say it. It wasn't every day, or ever for that matter, that he had to take a girl's virginity, and broaching the subject was not something he was at ease with.

"Afterwards, at dawn, the third and last binding occurs. This is when a tattooed symbol of the other will appear on us. The text didn't have much to say on this, so I'm not exactly sure how it happens, or what they will look like, but once it finishes we're officially bound and married, and we just have to wait." he finished.

"We just have to wait." she echoed.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Supernatural and it's characters do not belong to me. This story is for entertainment only, and I am not making any money off of it.

Author's Note: I'm trying to write longer chapters, so tell me how I've done. Please review! And thanks to those who have reviewed already, you don't know how excited I was to read them. :) Also, I'm leaving for a vacation to AZ tomorrow, so I might not get to update for about a week, my apologies.

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The Red Caress

Chapter 6

The grumbling of Sam's stomach broke the intensity of the moment he and Rae had been sharing. Shooting an embarrassed look to her, Sam decided that a break for breakfast might be in order. "Sorry, I haven't eaten yet." Sam explained, putting a hand to his stomach. "Do you want to grab a bite to eat? We can keep talking over food, and I'm sure you still have a few questions." he added, looking to Rae for confirmation.

She nodded her head quickly, "Oh yes, lots of questions. And I'm starving, I know a good diner around the corner we can go to, unless you already had a place in mind?" she asked. She stood up while she spoke, going to a closet by the door, and pulling out a black down coat and heavy boots. Putting them on and wrapping a blue knit scarf around her neck, she grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter.

"That sounds fine, I only got into town yesterday, so I don't know any decent places to eat." he admitted, pulling on his own jacket. "It alright if I drive, though? I don't like leaving Dean's car, it sounds stupid, but I kind of feel like I'm betraying him when I do." he admitted. Sam hadn't driven any car but the Impala since Dean died, and leaving it behind felt like leaving Dean behind, and that was something he just couldn't do.

"Sure", she said with sympathy in her voice, wordlessly telling him she understood. "But, just in case we see anyone I know, can I tell them you're my cousin?" she asked.

Sam wanted to laugh at that, until he realized that it wasn't just about her wanting to keep up appearances, but also to protect a dangerous secret. "I think that would be for the best. I don't mean to discourage you from telling people, but hunters usually have a policy for secrecy, it could become dangerous for us if the whole truth got out." he said, trying to impart on her the serious consequences that could befall them if they weren't discreet.

"I understand. But what scares me the most is what would happen if my mother found out her only living daughter had gotten married without inviting her.", she said, in a tone that told Sam she was not joking.

"Is she really that bad?" he asked, hoping he never had the bad luck to meet her.

"No, not bad. My mom is actually pretty great. She would be all understanding and supportive, but I know how disappointed she would be that she wasn't there and that I didn't tell her.", she said with a gloomy look on her face. "But hey, it won't matter once Ruth is back. She'll still have one daughter to watch walk down the aisle."

Smiling to herself, she opened the door for Sam, and locked up after him. They walked side by side through the hall and down the stairs. Sam opened the heavy front door for Rae and braced her when a strong gust of freezing wind set her off balance. Pointing across the street, Sam guided her over to the Impala, keeping a hand on her arm in case of ice.

"Nice car, not exactly what I would picture for you though." Rae commented, when they finally reached it. Sam opened her door for her, making sure she was safely inside before going around to his own side. Climbing in and turning the heat on full blast to unthaw his frozen fingers and melt the snow out of his hair, Sam addressed Rae's astute observation.

"Yeah, I was never as car crazy as Dean and my dad, but they loved this car, so I do too. It's been the only home I've ever known." Rae nodded at this, and gave Sam directions to a Froggy's Diner. There was a comfortable silence in the car as they drove, watching the light flurries of snow drifting in the early morning light. It had been a long time since there had been another person in the car with him, and her presence almost made it seem as though Dean was still here. Caught up in his memories, he hadn't noticed that Rae had nodded off with her head leaned up against the foggy window. Sneaking glances at her, Sam felt a protectiveness that surprised him. He hadn't been feeling much of anything since Dean died, and he wasn't sure what to make of these new feelings.

Arriving at their destination, the jolting of the car as it pulled into the diner's parking lot woke Rae up with a start. Stretching in her seat and letting out a yawn, she gave Sam a sleepy look. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"No problem, I've done that myself too many times to count." Opening his door, Sam went around to help Rae. Stepping out of the car, Rae once again took Sam's proffered arm and pulled her hood down against the snow. She slid on a spot of black ice on the steps, clutching Sam's arm like a lifeline. Sam chuckled, "Are you always this clumsy, or can we blame it in the snow?"

Rae shot him a look, "Mostly it's the snow, but I've never been the most graceful person," she confessed.

Inside the diner Sam looked around, spotting a secluded corner table in the back. Leading Rae over to it, he snatched a couple of menus from the counter as he passed. Sitting across from her so that he was facing the door, he waved down a waitress. "I'll have a black coffee to start, please. Do you want some tea Rae?", he asked, looking to her to make sure he had gotten her drink preference correct.

"Yes, black please, with just a dab of milk." she concluded.

"Sure thing hon." The waitress said, giving Sam one last look before walking away with a stare inducing strut.

Sam could feel his face heating up at the unwanted attention, and saw that Rae had noticed it too, and was giving him a knowing smirk. Thankfully, she merely picked up her menu and started looking at the breakfast specials. Even all these months later, Sam still hadn't become accustomed to all the female attention he received. When Dean had been around he had only noticed it because it was usually directed at his brother, who had reveled in the spotlight.

After the waitress, who's name Sam now discovered was Donna, came back to take down their orders, and made an unsuccessful attempt to flirt with Sam, Rae got their previous conversation back on track. "So, about those tattoos you were telling me about. Are you sure those are absolutely necessary?" she asked, with a hopeful look.

"Sorry, there's nothing I can do about that, it's apparently a very important part of the ritual. I'm not a big fan of tattoos either, but this isn't the first time I've gotten one. It's the price you pay when dealing with the supernatural." he explained.

Rae sighed, "That's what I thought you were going to say. What other rituals have you done that gave you a tattoo?" she asked curiously.

Sam's eyes darkened at the thought. "It wasn't a ritual. I was possessed once, so as a preventative measure both Dean and I had an anti-possession symbol put over our hearts." Rae had been in the process of taking a sip of tea and abruptly stilled when she heard this. She put her cup back down and was silent for a moment.

"Is that something I should be worried about? Will the demon that did the deal try and possess me? Do I need to get a tattoo of that too?" She seemed worried now, and Sam hastened to reassure her.

"That's really unlikely. If I ever thought you were in danger of that I'd let you know, but you're pretty much off the demon radar right now. So as long as we keep what we're doing a secret, you should be fine." he explained. Although now that she brought it up it was an idea worth considering.

"And what about the whole tent thing? It's the middle of winter and you want us to sleep outside? We'll freeze to death!" she exclaimed.

"I've got it covered. I have a heavy duty four season tent, two weatherproof sleeping bags, a ton of warm blankets, and a couple of heat lamps. It won't be the most comfortable night you've ever spent, but you won't die either." Sam wasn't a fan of the whole camping thing either, he really hated having to do it actually, but it needed to be done.

Rae hmm'ed in acknowledgement, not looking totally convinced, but not putting up any further argument either. At this the waitress arrived with their food, leaning over further than strictly necessary to serve Sam his plate, and giving him a bird's eye view down her blouse. If at that moment he hadn't been looking at Rae to see her reaction to this, he would have missed her purposefully tipping her cup over on the table to spill it all down Donna's skirt.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I can be such a klutz sometimes." she said in a sweet voice, making no effort to hide her pleasure at the woman's dismay. "Here, let me get that.", and started dabbing a napkin at her soaked uniform. The woman shot Rae a look of pure loathing and stomped away behind the counter.

"What were you saying?" She asked, as if nothing had happened.

"You did that on purpose!" said Sam with extreme surprise. Rae managed to look ashamed at being discovered.

"Well she didn't know that I wasn't your girlfriend! Could she have been any more unprofessional? It was disgusting." she stated, in outrage.

Sam just laughed, he liked this girl more every minute he spent with her. Rae started to laugh also, before admitting, "I've never done that before, it's kind of exhilarating."

"Oh no, I've started you out in a life of crime." he joked. Rae rolled her eyes at him, but didn't protest.

Getting back to their conversation, Rae fired out another question. "Okay, so we get through all the bindings, and then what? You weren't very specific about the part where we get Ruth and Dean back."

Sam quickly glanced around to be sure that nobody was listening, before he continued. "That's where the second binding circle comes in. At dawn, their souls should be pulled from hell and materialize within it. As soon as we're fully bound to each other, their souls will gain their corporal forms again. And that's when we know it worked, that we have them back for good." he spoke with an intensity and eagerness that was mirrored exactly by the expression Rae wore.

"And what will you do once you have Dean back?" she asked softly.

"We'll do what we've always done, the family business." he replied. Never before had he actually been excited at the thought of getting back to hunting.

"And how do I explain Ruth?" Her voice betrayed her worry at the thought. Sam had been planning for this question, and had left nothing to chance.

"When they appear we're all going to go back to your apartment. If they're conscious, we'll tell them a censored version of what happened and give Ruth an alibi about where she's been all this time. If they aren't, I'll take Ruth to the nearest hospital and drop her off. I'll tell them I found her on the side of the road, and give them her Identification. They won't be able to trace this back to you, and if we're lucky she won't remember her death, and they'll think she has amnesia.", he explained.

"And what about her grave? We buried her, everybody saw her body in the coffin. Won't they want to exhume her? What will they find?" she asked. She sounded horrified at the thought.

"Truthfully, I have no idea. Maybe their bodies will still be there, maybe they won't. But people will believe what they want to, so they'll make up some excuses, maybe a case of mistaken identity, or an elaborate kidnapping, but people will believe what they want to believe." he concluded. Rae had been listening with rapt attention, and seemed surprised that he was finished.

"It all seems so simple, so rational. No one will ever know the truth, will they?" She seemed sad and relieved at the same time.

"If we're lucky, no. And that's really the best we can hope for." He reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand. They sat there quietly, looking out at the rising sun and not noticing as their breakfast went cold.

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Neither Supernatural or Sam belong to me. Just wishing.

Author's Note: I'm back from my vacation! I want to apologize in advance for the one bit of Latin I put in this chapter. I got it from an English to Latin translator, so I have no doubt that it's probably wrong. Sorry!

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The Red Caress

Chapter 7

Tonight was the night. In just a few hours time Sam would be a married man. He had never been more nervous.

Friday morning, after he and Rae had finished breakfast, he had dropped her back off at her apartment and hadn't seen her since. He had however, anxiously called her twice a day, morning and night, to check on her and catch her up with his progress concerning the ritual. He knew he was going overboard with everything, he could hear the exasperation in Rae's voice, but he just couldn't help himself. He'd had a few loose ends to tie up, a few more herbs to buy, and a little more research to complete during this time, but now everything was set and perfect. There would be no mistakes tonight.

He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He had put on his only suit, the one he wore when impersonating an FBI agent, and judged himself with a critical eye. It technically didn't matter what he wore to the ritual, but he knew this was the only marriage either he or Rae would ever have, so he felt it was only appropriate that he dress up for the occasion. Feeling self conscious, he turned away from his image and checked his watch yet again. It was finally time for him to pick Rae up from her apartment. Glancing around the room one last time to make sure he didn't forget anything, he patted his pocket to check that the rings were still where he left them, and then grabbed his keys and left the room.

Climbing into the Impala, he paused for a moment. Closing his eyes, he started to speak. "Hey Dean. I know you can't hear me, but I just wanted you to tell you that I miss you. I know, you're saying enough with the chick flick moment already, but until you're here to tell me to shut up yourself, I get to be as girly as I want. I wanted to tell you that I'm getting you back, tonight. I know you're going to be pissed at me for doing this, but it's the only way. God, I feel stupid talking to myself, so I'm shutting up now and I'll talk to you in person later. Bye." With that he started the car and drove.

Pulling up to Rae's place, he was about to turn off the engine and head inside, when a flash of red caught his attention. It was Rae. She had obviously been waiting for him just inside the lobby doors, and had run out to meet him when she saw the Impala. True to his instructions, Instead of the poufy black coat she had been wearing when he last saw her, she now had on a dark red, form fitting pea coat that went to her knees. Making it safely to the car, she quickly jumped in, bringing a flurry of snow with her.

"Oh God it's cold! My feet are numb, I bet I have frostbite already." she said, lifting up a red heeled foot attached to a long white leg to emphasize her point. Sam's eyes were drawn up that leg, peeking out of the large slit in her coat, and he quickly cleared his throat before looking away. Rae continued on, oblivious to Sam's discomfort. "I can't believe I'm wearing these heels, it's ten degrees out! But it's my wedding, what else was I going to wear?" She continued to nervously chatter as Sam pulled the car onto the road and headed for their final destination.

Interrupting her, Sam said, "Rae, there's still time for you to back out, you don't have to go through with it if you aren't sure." He was giving her one last chance to run away screaming from the crazy guy who claimed he could bring back the dead.

She seemed to have read his thoughts when she answered, "I'll admit that I still think there's a high probability that we're both crazy. But if worst comes to worst, and we don't get our dead siblings out of Hell, well…I needed to lose my virginity some time. Right? And doing it with the hottest guy I've ever met? At least I can use that as my excuse, temporary insanity by cause of my raging hormones. And hopefully you're not a serial killer either and I'll live and take this secret bout of insanity to my grave." She looked straight ahead as she said all of this, but Sam could see the dark blush that had bloomed on her cheeks. "But mostly, I just need to know that I did everything I could, and I didn't let any opportunity pass by because I was scared. That would be something I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for.", she added seriously.

"Alright then. Uh, we've still got about forty minutes until we get to the park, in case you need to go over anything again, or have a few last questions." he said, changing the subject in the hopes of leaving the awkwardness of the moment behind.

"No, I think at this point it's best if I don't ask anything else. In this situation, the less I know the better, I'm thinking." she said. Sam had no reply to that, so neither of them said anything else for the rest of the drive.

Eventually, the number of buildings along the road thinned out, passing cars grew scarce and the trees grew in thicker patches, they were nearing the park. Another ten minutes, and Sam turned onto a dirt road, driving them deep into the woods. There was no light except for that of the headlights, the twin beams giving off an eerie glow. The branches overhead grew in a thick cover, blocking the night sky from view. They were surrounded on all sides. Sam continued to steer them slowly along the twisted, winding road. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sam spotted another set of lights in the distance.

Rae sat up straighter in her seat, clutching the red bag she had been carrying tightly between her hands and craning her neck to get a better view of what awaited them. Taking the last curve, they finally saw the old green truck that was parked outside the cross roads, the dimly lit cabin revealing a man huddled in the driver's seat. Sam parked the Impala beside the truck, but left the engine running.

Turning in his seat to face Rae, Sam spoke. "I think it would be best if you waited in the car for a little while. I need to talk to Father Luke and set up a few more things for the ritual, and you aren't really dressed for the weather anyway." Rae nodded her agreement. "Alright, I'll come get you when we're ready to start." he said before reaching into the backseat, grabbing his backpack, and getting out. When he started towards the truck, its own door opened to reveal the father. He was grey haired and thin, with warm brown eyes and an infectious smile.

"Well hello there Sam, I never expected to be getting a call from you." he said, speaking amiably enough, and giving Sam a firm handshake. Sam saw that under his heavy brown parka he was in his full priest's uniform, just as he had specified. "That your young lady in the car?" he asked, squinting through the dark to try and catch a glimpse of her.

"Yeah, that's Rae. I really wanted to thank you for doing this for us on such short notice. I know this is an unusual request, but we just couldn't wait." Sam said.

"Not at all. You aren't the first couple to need a hasty wedding, and you won't be the last. You're a good man to take responsibility for your actions. Although the choice of location is an odd pick. But to each his own." he added, giving Sam a wink as he said this.

Sam stared at him for a moment, not understanding what he was saying. Then it finally hit him, Father Luke thought that he had gotten Rae pregnant, and that was the reason for all the secrecy and rushing. Sam could feel himself flushing in embarrassment, and was about to correct him when he realized that letting the father come to his own conclusions about the marriage was better than him finding out the truth.

"Right. Uh, well here's the ceremony that we'd like you to use. You've probably never seen it before, it's mostly just used for hunters.", he lied. "I just have a few things I need to get ready before we can begin, and you can look that over. It's all in Latin, so mostly you just have to go over pronunciation, alright?" he asked.

"Oh, sure. But where's Dean? From what I remember you two never went anywhere without each other. I'd have thought he'd want to be here for this." he asked, taking another look at the Impala to be sure he hadn't missed him.

"He should be showing up later on. He'll miss the wedding, unfortunately. He's a little tied up at the moment." he answered, and not untruthfully. He turned away before Father Luke could try and read any untruth on his face, and started pulling supplies out of his bag. Moving to the center of the crossroads, Sam opened a drawstring bag containing pure salt that had been soaked and then dried in holy water. After pouring out a circle six feet wide in the dead center of the roads, he tossed the empty sack back into his bag. Next came the thermos containing fresh lamb's blood. Dabbing his fingers into its warmth, Sam drew four symbols outside the circle in each of the four directions. The bright redness of the designs stood out in sharp contrast to the freshly fallen snow. Sam caught Father Luke frowning at him, but thankfully he didn't say anything to stop him.

Sealing the thermos, Sam put it back only to pull out four white candles. Spacing them equally between the symbols, he lit them. Placing three glass vials of liquid in the middle of the circle he moved on. "One down, two to go." Sam sighed. He could feel the cold seeping in through his jacket, and he was already losing feeling in his hands. Moving more quickly, he sketched out another two circles, east and west, next to the first. These were smaller, and made of a mixture of dirt from both Dean and Ruth's graves. Completing them, Sam stood. It was time. Glancing above him, he looked through the small clearing in the branches. The full moon hung heavily in the starry sky, glowing brightly. Walking back to the car, he opened Rae's door. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Taking in a shuddering breath, she nodded. "Let's do this.", she replied, trying but failing to give him a reassuring smile.

"We need to leave our jackets here. Only ceremonial garb allowed from here out. Sorry." he apologized. She barely acknowledged him, simply standing up and stripping her coat off. Sam stared. She was wearing a crimson red silk dress. Tightly fitted across her chest, and revealing a large amount of cleavage, it had small straps to hold it up. Once past her hips it fell in loose folds down to her knees. Looking her over, Sam noticed that she had gotten her hair done. It was loosely curled and swept to the side, held in place by a gem studded clip. She looked lovely.

When she noticed him looking she spoke, "Like it? It's the most money I've ever spent on clothes in my life. More of an impulse buy, but I felt like a cheap dress would make it seem like I wasn't taking this seriously." She shivered as she said this, so Sam quickly threw his own coat in the car and ushered her into the circle.

"We're ready to start Father." Sam said, gesturing to the man to come closer. Father Luke was looking rather uncertainly at them. He made his way over to them, but slowly, as if he would rather not be here anymore.

"Are you sure you should be doing this Sam? If I didn't know you better I might get the wrong impression from all this." he said. Sam got the message; he knew very well that it looked like a satanic ritual.

"You don't need to worry Father, I know this looks very strange. I promise you that this is a marriage ritual, you aren't doing anything against your vows, I wouldn't do that to you." Sam stated.

The father didn't look totally convinced, but said, "I owe you this Sam, you saved my life and many of my parishioners, but this doesn't feel right." Nonetheless, he unfolded the paper the ritual was written on and began. He spoke the Latin in halting words, careful to not to stumble over their unfamiliar sounds. As the priest read, Sam picked up the first vial off the ground. Uncorking it, he poured the small amount of golden brown liquid onto his hand before carefully rubbing it between his palms. He turned back to Rae and started to smooth it down her arms, over her hands and between her fingers, making his way back up to her chest and neck before turning her around to reach her upper back. He could feel the goose bumps erupt on her arms at the contact but he didn't stop until his hands were dry. It left her skin with a golden glow, and she looked ethereal.

Next, it was Sam's turn. Unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it aside, he grabbed the second vial and handed it to Rae. No words were needed to explain, she understood what she needed to do. Opening her own vial, she started to spread the mixture in the same pattern as Sam had. She worked quickly, and her touch was light and timid. In the background Sam could hear Father Luke's chanting, and the wind picked up, howling hauntingly through the trees, sending Rae's hair flying in all directions.

Returning her glass to the ground, Rae looked to Sam for direction. He nodded his head to the last container, and she handed it to him. Inside was a thick black liquid. Unsealing it, Sam drained half before handing it off for Rae to do the same. It tasted like a mix between cloves and licorice, which was deceiving since Sam knew all the unsavory ingredients that had gone into making it. Rae took a careful sniff before swallowing in one gulp, but she seemed to appreciate the pleasant taste.

Snow had started to fall, and it was accumulating thickly around them. Looking at Rae, Sam was sure that if not for the mixture on her skin she would be starting to turn blue from cold. He waited a moment for Father Luke to get to the right point in the ritual before pulling out the two rings. "Cum quo orbis nos sumus reus." he spoke, while slipping the platinum signet ring onto her finger. The six clear diamond stones in the center were all triangular in shape, fitted together to form a circle. Handing Rae his own ring, she returned the gesture, whispering the binding words while slipping her ring's twin onto Sam's finger.

The wind was blowing faster now, the candles flickering and barely clinging to life. The father spoke louder, an invisible force urging him to hurry. As he spoke the last word, Sam tugged Rae to him and kissed her for the first time. Abruptly, the night went still. The deed was done.

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	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Author's Note: Thank you reviewers! You make my day. :)

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The Red Caress

Chapter 8

Sam pulled away from the kiss quickly. Rae stared him in the eyes for a long moment, both of them panting heavily, their breaths mingling in a ghostly white cloud between them. Releasing her from his arms, he looked over at Father Luke, whose eyes were wide. He was clutching something to his chest, mumbling to himself in intelligible words. Sam realized it was a rosary, the father was praying.

Looking back at Rae he saw that she was hugging her arms for warmth, her teeth chattering. "You can go back to the car now and warm up. This part of the ritual is complete. I need to have a word with Father Luke.", he said, and he didn't have to tell her twice. She immediately ran off to the car, and threw on her coat as she climbed in. When the door was firmly closed, the priest spoke.

"What have you done Sam? What have you gotten yourself into? And with that young woman, dragging her into this too.", he said in an agonized voice. "I've done something terrible, haven't I?"

"No Father, you just saved two souls from Hell. We would have done this with or without your help.", he replied. As he spoke he pulled his shirt back on, not bothering to button it. It would be coming off again soon enough. The man still looked anguished, however. "Go home Father. You've done a good thing tonight. Get some sleep, everything will seem better in the morning." Sam took his arm and walked him over to his truck, opening the door for him, and buckling him safely inside.

"I'll pray for you both", Father Luke said, starting the engine.

"Thank you. I can always use the extra help.", Sam replied, and watched as the car pulled away, leaving the clearing darker than before.

Sam sighed, rubbing a tired hand over his face. That hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped. He had thought that saving the man from a bloodthirsty ghost would make him more open to the supernatural, but apparently not. But it didn't matter now, he'd served his purpose. He could think whatever he wanted. It was time to finish what he started.

He walked back to the Impala, slumping into the front seat next to Rae. She had turned the heat on full blast, and his frozen extremities immediately started to burn back to life, the pins and needles feeling making even his most minute movements painful. He sank back into the seat, closing his eyes and soaking up the silence. Minutes passed before Rae brought them back to reality. "My ring won't come off. I wanted to get a closer look at it, but I can't get it to budge. And it's not a 'I need soap' kind of stuck. It wont even spin around on my finger, it's like it's glued to my skin.", she said, in a monotone voice, not sounding particularly worried.

Sam glanced down at his hand, fingering his own band. She was right. "I guess it's just one more way to make sure the ritual is valid. No hiding the ring to try and pretend we're single.", he said.

"And that stuff we spread on our skin? What was that for?" , she inquired. She seemed to be coming back to life, her curiosity overriding her desire to shut down.

"The tattoos. Later, afterwards, the gold will turn black. Did you notice, the color's spread. It isn't just where we put it anymore.", he answered, nodding toward her legs. She looked down, her legs now glowed golden as well. "Your face too, everywhere actually."

"I'm still not sure how I'm going to explain that to everyone. I'm thinking of going with drunken mistake, but act of rebellion is still in the running too.", she joked.

"And the ring that is impossible to take off?", he asked.

"I'll just tell them I bought it because it was pretty. Hopefully no one will ask me to take it off, and if they do I'll refuse." Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"What?" Sam wondered if the stress of the situation was proving too much for her to handle.

"I'll tell them it's a purity ring, that I plan to wait until marriage. I'll be lying and telling them the truth all at the same time. Welcome to your new life Rae.", she said sarcastically. Sam had no response to that, so he didn't reply. By now he was fully thawed, and starting to become uncomfortably warm. It was time to stop stalling.

"Did you have any other questions? You never asked about the mixture we had to drink.", he said.

Rae shook her head. "I have a few guesses about that, none very pleasant. Right now at least, I prefer ignorance." Sam nodded. He wished he had that option.

"We really need to finish the rest of the ritual. I'm going to set up the tent for us, you can wait here if you like.", he said, getting them back on track.

"No, I'll help you. I feel bad sitting in the warm car while you work out in the cold.", she answered. She buttoned her jacket while she spoke, then retrieved a pair of red leather gloves out of her bag. Sam was oddly grateful to hear her say this. He put his jacket on and zipped it up. Turning the engine off, he and Rae opened their doors together and moved to the trunk. He pulled out the tent, and headed back to the circle. Careful not to disturb the lines or candles, he spread it on the ground. Rae started to pull out the poles and lay them in their appropriate places. They assembled it efficiently, and without saying a word. While Sam staked it down, Rae went back to fetch the blankets, and she handed them to him to set up, before going back for more. Three more trips and everything they needed was inside. Sam had immediately turned on the battery powered heat lamps, making the tent glow a dim orange. It was now the only light to be seen.

Awkwardness settled on both Sam and Rae. They knew what came next. Taking the initiative, Rae ducked into the opening, and Sam followed a moment later. He sealed the entrance and sat down next to Rae. She had folded up her coat and taken her heels off, placing them in a corner out of the way. Sam followed her lead, removing his own shoes and jacket. He looked back to her, but her head was turned away. She wrapped a blanket around herself, scooting closer to the heater to warm her feet. Sam wished he was anywhere but here at this moment.

Letting out a groan, he flopped onto his back. He heard Rae let out a small laugh, before feeling her lay down beside him. Sam could feel the minutes dragging by, neither of them making any moves. "You know we can't just lay like this all night.", he finally said. They were going nowhere fast, and Sam knew he needed to be the one to get them started.

"I know." Rae held her breath a moment, but eventually she released it. "I'm ready to get them back now.", she whispered, looking at Sam hesitantly, before reaching over to hold his hand. It was now or never. Sam rolled over so that he hovered above Rae. Her eyes glittered darkly as he stared into them, and the dim light cast long shadows across her face. Finally, he leaned down to kiss her. At first she lay perfectly still beneath him, but when he didn't stop she slowly returned the gesture. Her inexperience was obvious, but Sam found it oddly endearing.

He pulled away from her for a moment, reaching up to stroke her hair away from her face. She looked at him with apprehension and worry, as if she feared his rejection. "You look beautiful tonight, I forgot to tell you earlier.", he sincerely assured her. Rae finally gave him her first real smile that night. She leaned up and gave him a shy peck on the lips.

"Thank you Sam.", she said in a quivering voice, and in that moment everything was suddenly easy.

Their mouths met again, and this time neither one held back. Sam's arms went around Rae, pulling her body flush up against his, while her hands crept beneath his clothes to run across his chest and back. He kissed his way under her jaw and down her neck as she fought to rip his shirt off, tossing it away to be lost within the blankets. Sam found himself locked between Rae's legs, his hands skimming her soft thighs, dragging the silky material of her dress up past her hips. She arched her back, and he traced the line of her spine up, until her found the zipper and tugged it down. She shimmied it over her head, leaving her in just bra and panties.

Hovering above Rae, Sam took a moment to admire her. Laying reclined on her back, with her dark hair spread around her in disarray, and her porcelain skin glowing, she was breathtaking. Any control over himself that he might have had shattered in that instant. They came back together with an animal ferocity, and Sam felt Rae tugging at his belt with little success. Helping her, he undid it with one hand, kicking his way out of his pants. "Off", he growled, fumbling with her strapless bra. His frustration taking over, he broke the clasp to get it off. Both of them were panting heavily by now, and her hot breath in his ear sent shivers through him.

Rae tangled her hands into Sam's shaggy hair, pulling him back up to her face, their teeth and tongues fighting for dominance. Sweat glistened on their bodies, dripping off and making every touch slick. Sam's hand slid to her breasts, moving slowly down until he reached her fabric covered panties. The red lace was soaked, and he could hear Rae trying to stifle her moans as he touched her. She was ready, and Sam couldn't wait another second. Rae lifted her hips as he started to tug her underwear down. Once they were out of the way he stripped off his own boxers. He waited for her to meet his eyes, and he could see that her fear was back, but they were well past the point of no return.

She slid her hand up his chest to rest over his heart, and he could see tears in her eyes. She closed them, and seemed to be listening to the fast but steady beat that pounded within him. She placed his right hand over her own heart and smiled, trust in him written on her every feature. "Exactly the same.", she whispered. It was such a heart wrenching gesture that Sam cupped her face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Yes.", he whispered back, then rocked his hips and made her a virgin no longer. She gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his skin and drawing blood. He could see that she was in pain, and held himself perfectly still.

Her tears spilled over, but she said, "Keep going. Don't stop now." He went slowly, but picked up speed when she started to respond. Every sensation seemed to be magnified by twenty, and he could tell that Rae was close to the edge. It had been so long since he had done this, he knew that he was as well. They were in a frenzy of feeling, and he was half out of his mind now. The pressure was building, faster and faster, he was going to burst into a thousand pieces. And then it came, an explosion of light behind his eyes before he was claimed by darkness.

Sam woke to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. "Sam, wake up. I can't breathe Sam, you have to move.", a feminine voice pleaded. Groggily he opened his eyes, to be met with blue ones looking right back at him.

"Rae? What happened?", he questioned. But instead of answering him she pushed at his arms.

"Sam, you need to roll over, you're too heavy.", she whined, her voice sounding strained. It was only then that he realized he was lying on top of her, all his weight resting on her.

"Oh! Sorry.", he apologized, rapidly moving himself off her. "Did I hurt you?" He anxiously scanned her still naked body for any signs of injury. She sat up, taking a few deep breaths and pulling a blanket up to cover herself.

"No, I'm fine. But you weigh a ton.", she said, rubbing her chest a little. "Was that supposed to happen? I don't recall anyone ever telling me you're supposed to black out during sex, unless you're just that good.", she added, wiggling her eyebrows at him. She turned away quickly, blushing yet again when she remember that he was also naked.

Sam actually laughed. "That most definitely is not normal. Just yet another part of the ritual only now revealing itself.", he answered, grabbing his own blanket.

"Sam, your back!", Rae exclaimed, crawling over to get a closer look. He twisted around trying to see what she was talking about, but it was impossible without a mirror.

"Is it the tattoo? What does it look like, I can't see.", he asked, anxious to know what she was looking at.

"It's a snake. A boa constrictor I think, and it's spread over your entire back. It's actually really beautiful, there's a kind of gold shimmer too it.", she said, tracing a finger along its design as she spoke. "It's tail starts all the way down at your left hip and stretches up in coils and twists to your right shoulder."

"Hmm…well what about you, what have you got?", he said, thinking it must be on her back as well. He'd gotten a pretty thorough look at her before she grabbed the blanket, and all he'd seen was perfectly white skin. Her eyes went round, and she instantly loosened her wrapper, peeking down inside. Apparently finding nothing, she turned around and brushed her hair away from her back.

"Is it there? Please tell me it didn't end up on my ass.", she begged. And it was there. Starting at the base of her spine and slithering up in sensual golden brown waves.

"You have a snake too. A rattlesnake." He wondered how she would feel about that. For one, the tattoos were a lot larger than he had expected them to be, and also, she may have thought his snake was beautiful, but getting one of her own might be a different story.

"I've always liked snakes.", she said. "My dad was even bitten by a rattler when he was young, maybe that's why I got this one. Does it look nice?" Sam traced hers just as she had done for him.

"It suits you. Its all gold and different shades of brown, and the scales look like they're moving. Even the rattle looks real." She actually seemed happy about it.

"My dad will love it then, after he gets over being mad at me for getting it in the first place." She sighed and lay down on her stomach, watching Sam. "So what do we do now?", she asked. Sam looked at the walls of the tent, it was still pitch black outside.

"We wait until sunrise. Try and get some sleep if we can.", he answered, lowering himself down next to Rae. It had gotten colder, and now even the heat lamps weren't quite enough to leave them feeling truly warm. He was back to feeling awkward, but decided to just let his instincts lead him. He slung and arm around Rae's waist and pulled her up against him. She gave a start at the unexpected contact, but relaxed in the warmth of his embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, her breathing slowing down and evening out. Sam held her tighter and prayed that when they made it out of the dark they would find what they had been fighting for.

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	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Supernatural, it's characters and just about everything else belong to Eric Kripke and the CW.

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter, but life has been rather crazy this month, what with school and being in the E.R. and all, but I'm back! Oh, and writer's block is a bitch. Please, please, please Review

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The Red Caress

Chapter 9

Sam was awoken yet again to the feeling of being shaken. Sitting up, he looked to Rae to see that she was just as confused as he was. "What the…is this an earthquake?", she questioned, holding onto Sam for support. The ground trembled and rocked, the sound a deep rumbling roar. Sam had been through a few during his years in California, he knew enough to be sure that this was no earthquake. Ripping up the blankets, he frantically started searching for his lost clothing.

"Get your clothes, its not an earthquake, well not the kind you're thinking of anyway.", he said. Unearthing his pants, he yanked them on and shoved his feet into his shoes. He looked over to see Rae struggling into her wrinkled dress, ignoring her ruined undergarments and leaving them where they had fallen. They both hastily shrugged on their coats and crawled to the tent's entrance, fumbling to unzip it. Morning light filtered through the cloth walls, casting them both in a gray pallor. Finally, they were free, tumbling out onto the fresh snow.

The circle surrounding them was broken and cracked, solid pieces of dark earth jutting up jaggedly. Sam turned to find that the other circles had met the same fate, but what he saw inside them caused his breath to halt, ice running through his veins. His vision was tunneling, all sounds becoming muffled and distant. He barely noticed Rae's screams he was so focused on what he saw before him.

Whatever was huddled in the center, it was not his brother. The person was naked and painfully thin, its ribs and spine visible through the burned and bloody skin. Its head, which was tucked tightly to its chest, was singed bald. And then the figure gave a hoarse moan, and Sam would recognize that voice anywhere. His knees gave out on him, and he didn't even realize that he had started crawling to Dean until he felt the snow through his pants. The snow inside the circle had melted into a muddy mess, and steam still rose off the warm water. Sam pulled Dean onto his lap, hugging his shivering body tightly to his own. "Dean, it's alright. You're safe now, I'm here. I'm going take care of you, it's all going to be fine." he muttered. He was rocking them now, tears streaming down his face and onto Dean's. "Come on bro, wake up. Please Dean, just open your eyes for me.", he begged, his worry increasing by the second. But he was as still as death, the only sign that he still lived was the faint heartbeat to be felt through his chest.

With this assurance, he finally became aware of Rae. She was clutching Ruth to her chest, sobbing onto her still form. The puddley mush around them was stained pink and red from the blood. Ruth was wrapped in Rae's red coat, only her face and feet visible, and with this Sam came back to his senses. He reluctantly eased Dean back to the ground before racing back to the tent to snatch up the blankets. He tossed a few at Rae before returning his attention to his own sibling. He carefully wrapped Dean in the covers, securing them tightly before addressing Rae.

"We need to get them in the car, Ruth needs the hospital and I need to take Dean somewhere safe.", he said. Rae sniffled and nodded, having already swaddled Ruth in her own blankets. Holding her as she was, she looked like a mother protecting her young child, fierce and scared. Sam hefted Dean up into his arms, before slowly standing. It was much easier than it should have been, he would have had a difficult time of it when Dean was at his normal size. Sprinting to the Impala, he freed one arm to unlock the passenger side door and gently lowered Dean into the seat. Fastening his seatbelt, Sam leaned over him to start the engine. It came to life with a roar and hot air began to blast out of the vents. Looking back, he saw that Rae had managed to stand up with Ruth enclosed in her tight grasp. She was struggling to carry her sister's weight, but fear and adrenaline gave her strength, and she was determinedly making her way to them. Sam opened the back door in time to allow her to slide her sister onto the seat. She crawled in after her and Sam slammed the door shut before jumping into the driver's seat.

Sam revved the engine and floored the gas. The car jerked forward and fishtailed on the slick snow for a moment. Regaining control, Sam navigated the dirt road at speeds pushing seventy, narrowly avoiding swerving into trees. He absently noted that even this far away from the crossroads a few residual tremors were still causing the surrounding forest to creak and groan, sending random branches falling into the path before them. Approaching the main road, Sam pushed the car even faster. They were going no less than a hundred miles an hour when Sam managed to speak. "I'm going to drop you off at the entrance to the hospital's emergency room. I can't come in, but we need to get your story straight before we get there." he barked out. His mind was half on what to do about Rae, and half on his own plans for Dean. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw Rae gently stroking Ruth's soot smeared face. In the back of his mind he wondered how much trouble he was going to be in when Dean saw the bloody mess they were making in his car. He peeked over to see that Dean was still slumped in his seat, his head bouncing lightly against the foggy window.

"I won't leave Ruth, I'm going with her. I'll tell the people at the hospital, and the police that someone rang my buzzer, when no one answered I went downstairs to check who it was. That's when I found Ruth lying outside the door. I flagged down a random stranger and they drove me to the hospital. I won't say anything else, about you or any other questions they might ask me.", she said, sounding confident that her story would work. Sam wasn't so sure.

"You know the police are going to be suspicious. They won't just let you go that easily." There would be too many unanswered questions, about Ruth's death and the unusual circumstances to how she was found. This wasn't in his plans.

"It doesn't matter, I can keep a secret, they won't get anything I don't want known out of me.", she said in a firm voice. Sam was still skeptical but he just didn't have the time to make a better plan.

"Alright. I don't know when we'll see each other again. You have my cell number, if anything happens, I don't care how small or insignificant it might seem, I want you to call me. I'll keep in touch when I can." They were nearing the hospital, they only had a few minutes now. He looked at her through the mirror again, the early morning sun shining on her in a blinding halo, and she stared back. They both understood that this could be the last time they saw each other. There were no regrets.

Sam came to a screeching stop at the emergency room door, leaving the Impala running. The ambulance before them was receiving the brunt of the attention, buying Sam a few more minutes. Getting out, he opened Rae's door and pulled Ruth out. She weighed almost nothing to Sam, and was as limp as a rag doll. Once Rae got out, he got his first good look at her that day. Her dress was ruined, muddy, blood stained and dripping wet. She was also barefoot, he guessed she had abandoned her heels in favor of carrying Ruth. She looked exhausted and emotionally drained, but he knew that the trials they would face had only just begun. Sam knew he needed to leave, doctors would be rushing at them any moment now, but he was reluctant to go. He shifted his feet, unsure of what to say, but Rae took care of that for him.

"You should go Sam. Dean needs you." she said. He nodded, moving over to a nearby bench to carefully set down the injured woman. Turning back around, he had to brace himself when Rae threw herself at him, hugging him with unexpected strength. "Thank you Sam. Thank you, thank you, thank you." she whispered. She was crying again, he could feel the tears seeping through his shirt, but he didn't mind. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. They finally pulled apart, and Sam leaned down to give Rae one last kiss. It was soft and swift, and when it was over he got back into the Impala and drove. When he looked back through the rearview mirror Rae was only a small splash of red in the distance.

The Impala stuttered to an abrupt stop in front of the run down motel. Sam had driven the twenty minute distance in ten, black tread marks fresh on the pavement as visible evidence of his haste. Stopping the engine so quickly he nearly broke the key, Sam slammed open his door and hurried over to Dean. Hefting his brother up into his arms, he surreptitiously checked to see if anyone was watching them, before walking them into the room. Kicking the door shut, Sam brought Dean directly into the bathroom and deposited him gently into the tub. His mind was in survival mode now, there was no time to panic or think, just act. Rolling up his sleeves and removing the blankets from around his brother, he turned on the faucet to a lukewarm temperature. At the water's contact Dean moved for the first time. Curling up more closely into himself he whimpered and tried to shy away from the unwanted attention. "Dean! Hey it's me, its Sam. Stay with me Dean, you're safe now, I'm gonna take care of you.", Sam told him, repeating his earlier assurances.

Dean seemed to calm at the sound of his voice, subsiding back into sleep. Sam didn't waste any more time, grabbing up a wash cloth he started to gently rub away the blood and gore of the day from Dean's skin. The bath water turned a sickly copper brown almost immediately, but Sam didn't stop until every inch of Dean had received his attention. Delicately tipping back the elder Winchester's head, Sam lovingly rubbed away the sooty remains of his brother's trademark hair. Moving lower Sam repeated the process until he was finished. Rinsing the last drops of dirt from his body and pulling up the drain plug, Sam was astonished at what he saw. With all the blood gone Dean was surprisingly uninjured. Aside from his abnormal thinness, the only evidence of what he had been through was the chain like burn that circled his left arm before looping once across his back and torso.

Tugging Dean back into his arms, Sam carried him to the waiting bed and laid him out over the cheap white towels. Picking up a clean dry cloth, he meticulously dried him off. Turning to the bedside table Sam surveyed the supplies that awaited him. Gauze and ointment, pills and needles, everything he could think of that Dean might possibly need. When he had first stolen the supplies he had felt guilty and ashamed of his actions, but now he was grateful that he had gone overboard and come prepared. Running through Dean's wounds in his head, he decided that going into shock might be their greatest challenge. Grabbing and IV bag, he inserted the needle into Dean's arm and hung the bag from a nail where a cheap landscape print used to hang. Dean hated needles, he always complained and whined, but now he took no notice of the intrusion. Trying not to think about what that might mean, Sam continued with his doctoring.

Next came an abundance of pills, half of which he couldn't pronounce, all of them preventative measures, whether it be a fever or infection, Sam was taking no chances. It was difficult to get Dean to swallow them, but this wasn't the first time Sam had ever had to feed his unconscious brother medicine. Placing the pills in the back of Dean's mouth, and pouring a sip of water in afterwards, Sam gently rubbed his brother's throat until he started to cough and sputter. "You're doing great Dean, just a little longer and you can sleep as long as you want. You'll be good as new in the morning, alright. Just hang on a little while longer for me, ok Dean?", he spoke softly, keeping up a running commentary in the hopes of distracting him, like Dean always used to do for him.

With that done, Sam pulled a tube of burn cream out of the pile and began to apply it. They weren't the worst burns he had ever seen, they had both faced their fair share of them, but Sam knew they were bad enough to scar. Rotating Dean's arm to reach every inch, he followed by tightly wrapping the wound in fresh gauze. With that finished there was nothing left for him to do but wait. Pulling the covers from the foot of the bed, he draped them over Dean before tucking him into them. Fluffing his pillow to be sure he was comfortable, he did one last check of the salt lines and devil's traps before settling himself into the chair beside the bed. Sam was weary down to his bones, and his body screamed for him to sleep, but until Dean was out of the woods he would keep a watchful vigil over him. Shifting to find a more comfortable position, Sam watched the path of the shadows in the room, as the day came and went, until his eyes closed and he dreamed of red.

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	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing it folks, sharing is caring and all that. :P

Author's Note: I did some pretty major revisions to the end of this, so if there are any returning readers, no you aren't seeing things and your memory is just fine.

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The Red Caress

Chapter 10

All Sam could see was red. The red of fire, the red of blood, and then the red of silk. The red stands out against the sterile white, blinding and cold. And then he started to feel, and this was when he knew that he was dreaming, because he had never felt the emotions he was experiencing now. His fear and doubt were replaced until he was all wonder and awe and…faith? His confusion brough him out of his sleep, but it was not his dream that caused his new uneasiness. Still on the hard chair, and slumped over nearly in half, Sam's spine tingled. The feeling of being watched was impossible to ignore. He had not been a Hunter his entire life for nothing, and he knew without a doubt that it was not his brother doing the observing.

Preparing himself to make a dash for the shotgun lying on the table beside him, Sam slit his eyes open a fraction. A dark shadow was being cast over Dean's prone form on the bad. Sam didn't know the man watching his incapacitated brother, and that was enough to send him hurtling to the side to scoop up his weapon. As quickly as he moved, he still wasn't fast enough to fire at the stranger before he found himself frozen on the spot by an invisible force. He couldn't move a muscle, nor make a sound and fear started to freeze even his thoughts. Rationality won over, however, as it always did. Sam knew he warded the room as tightly and thoroughly as any Hunter could, and this begged the question as to what creature could have bypassed them.

"Samuel Winchester.", the man said in a gruff and monotone voice. His blue eyed stare penetrated right through Sam, as though he could see into his head and read his thoughts. There was a tense silence following this statement, on Sam's end at least. The man seemed content to just look at him, his face never changing expression and his body still as stone. He was Dean's height, with short dark brown hair wearing a dark suit and khaki trench coat. He looked like any other working class man, and if Sam didn't know better he'd think he was as unthreatening as one too. "You resurrected them. It has taken me much effort to find you, but I have come." he stated, his eyes wandering down to look upon Dean for the first time. His gaze seemed gentle, and even fond, and this scared Sam more than anything. Other men did not look at his brother with fondness, at least not with good intentions. And now he had more than just Dean to worry about, the man seemed to know about Ruth too, meaning he'd put two more people in danger.

Sam futilely struggled to free himself, his mind shouting questions that his mouth couldn't. The stranger seemed to be listening though, cocking his head slightly towards Sam. Bringing his eyes back up to meet Sam's, he spoke. "My name is Castiel, I am an angel of the Lord." At that exact moment a passing car's head lights illuminated the curtained window behind this Castiel, and a giant pair of shadowed wings became visible on the walls. They stretched the length of the room and farther, and he swore he could hear the sound of feathers rustling. Sam's fighting ceased instantly, and now the loudest sound in the room now was the pounding of his heart in his chest.

"You have served the Lord well in this deed, and you shall be rewarded." the angel said, laying a hand on Dean's bicep. A bright light and building pressure filled the room, white noise blocking out all else. Sam had to close his eyes to avoid being blinded, and in a flash it was gone. With the end of the light came a release of the hold Sam has been under. He stumbled against the bed, before quickly regaining his feet and aiming the shotgun again. The lights flickered and the television abruptly turned on. He swiveled around to survey the rest of the room but it was empty, Castiel was gone as if he had never been there in the first place.

Sam sat his shaking body back onto the chair, laying his gun across his knees. He tried to process what he witnessed, an angel, possibly the first one seen in a thousand years. But angels don't really exist, this had to be a trick, a lie. He stared at Dean for a few minutes before realizing that something was different. Dean was no longer the same skinny, burned and bald ruin of a man that he was yesterday. His hair had grown back to its previous length, his muscles and weight returned, and Sam could only assume the same miracle had healed the burns and scars. All except one that is. Where the angel touched Dean's arm was a red and upraised handprint. Sam was up and at Dean's side before he had even fully processed what he was seeing. Running his hands over his brother's head and across his chest and stomach he finally accepted the truth, he really had been healed.

A sudden jerk under his hands sent him tumbling back from the bed. "Christ Sammy, you a perv or something? I know I'm beautiful, but incest is just wrong." Dean spoke in a teasing tone, just a hint of confusion evident in his still sleep laden voice. "What were you doing, anyway? You can't just touch a man while he's sleeping, I mean come on." He sat up, only to stare at the bandages on his body without comprehension. Peeking inside them, he gave Sam a look. "Seriously dude, what's with the mummy look? I don't have a scratch on me." But that's when he caught sight of the handprint. "What the hell is this?" he questions in a high voice, reaching up to lightly trace the mark. Sam was still in too much disbelief to do anything more than stare with his mouth gaping open. "Did I get a concussion on the last hunt? How long have I been out?" When Sam still didn't respond, Dean waved a hand in front of his face before giving him a couple light slaps on the cheek. "Sam! You're scaring me, dude!"

At Dean's touch Sam bolted off the floor and onto the bed, grabbing Dean up into his arms and holding on for dear life. "Dean. Oh god Dean, I missed you." He was crying and shaking and knew that he's freaking his brother out, but Dean just hugged him back, his body somehow instinctually understanding what his mind did not. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't figure it out, I couldn't save you. I'm sorry." Finally, with his brother back beside him, he felt as though he was whole again, like he wasn't being torn apart from the inside out. Dean just patted his back without speaking, letting him get everything out. Sam doesn't know how long they stayed like that, but eventually he managed to pull himself together. Leaning back, he wiped the tears off his face while watching to see what Dean's reaction would be. At first Dean's face betrayed none of his feelings, but then a dawning understanding starts to replace the blankness. A haunted look full of pain and fear was quickly shuttered away behind Dean's steel gaze, but not so fast that Sam hadn't caught it.

"Shit Sam! What did you do?" Dean moved off the bed as he growled this, his voice low and dangerous, and shook Sam through fistfuls of his shirt. Sam had been prepared to tell his brother the truth, to remain defiant in the face of Dean's wrath, but the appearance of an angel changed things. To lie or not to lie, that was the question facing him now. Sam was sorely tempted to lay all the blame on Castiel, to conveniently avoid mention of the ritual, but he didn't have only his own life to think about now. "Tell me what happened Sam. Start from the very beginning, I want to know everything. And don't leave anything out." Dean ordered, his voice harsh.

Knowing that what he was about to do would probably come back to bite him, he told the truth. "You were dead Dean. You died, and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. I tried everything, I looked in every book and talked to every demon, but I couldn't help you." he explained, his voice pleading for understanding and forgiveness with every word. "You were in Hell for over nine months. I would have done anything to get you back." Dean remained silent, but his expression was dark and Sam hesitated to continue. "It was the only way, Dean, I had to."

"How did you do it Sam! Did you sell your soul? Tell me!" Dean shouts. Sam knew that beneath the anger was all consuming fear, for his little brother he had died to save, and probably for himself as well. Sam opened his mouth to explain when a flash of red on the TV caught his attention. A news reporter was standing outside, bundled up against the cold, but that wasn't what interested him. It was the fact that in the background, the scene showed a tent surrounded by bloody and cracked earth. Sam knew that place, he had been there just this morning.

"Oh shit." he managed to utter. For the first time since waking Dean took his eyes off Sam, turning to view the screen as well. Sam grabbed up the remote and turned the volume higher, the sound filling the room. The reporter was speaking again, speculating on the apparent satanic ritual that seemed to have taken place. It was suspected that a murder or torture had taken place given the amount of blood found. Police moved around the scene, illuminated by the flashing blue and red lights, collecting evidence and incriminating Sam with every piece they found. In all the upheaval Sam hadn't even given a second thought at leaving the tent and all the evidence of their actions behind. His one driving thought had been to save Dean, to get him as far away as possible to the safest place he could manage. He couldn't believe he had done something so stupid, especially after all the warnings about secrecy he had given Rae. With Ruth at the hospital in the state she was in, and with the timing the way it was, it was only logical that she would be questioned about any possible connection to the scene. After that all it would take are a few simple blood tests to confirm her presence, another to identify the fingerprints as Sam's, and he was back on the FBI's radar.

From the disbelieving look Dean was giving him, he seemed to have put it all together as well. "God damn it Sam! Did you lose all those brains you had when I died?" He said all this only inches from Sam's face, his breath hot and alive on Sam's skin. He jabbed a finger into Sam's chest as he spoke, pushing him a step back with every word. Dean had backed Sam up to the end of the bed, and with the last poke of his finger Sam was forced to sit or risk falling flat on his back. Looking up at Dean's furious expression, Sam knew it was time to come clean.

"Look Dean, I can explain. Just sit down and hear me out, it's not as bad as it seems." he pleaded. Dean looked at him, narrowing his eyes in thought, but eventually he settled himself onto his own bed.

"Alright, talk. I'm listening. It better be damn good though, Sam.", he said, gesturing with his hand for Sam to start. His face, however, made it clear that no answer Sam could come up with would be good enough.

Blowing out a sigh and scrubbing a hand through his hair, Sam spoke. "You might as well get comfortable, this will take a while."

Rae watched the Impala carry Sam into the horizon, until he was merely a dark speck in the distance. Feeling both regret and relief at his absence, she turned her attention back to her sister. Tears welled up again at the sight of Ruth's broken body, and she drew in a deep breath to scream for help, but before she could release it, a man silently appeared out of the thin air beside her. Startled, her yell was stifled in her throat, and she could only watch as the stranger kneeled down beside her sister, lightly brushing her cheek with his fingers before pushing aside the coat to grasp her arm. Uncomfortable with the audacity and familiarity the strange man was showing, thinking he could touch her half naked sister, Rae raised her hand to protest and push him away, only to find herself frozen in place. Blue eyes met her frightened stare, and all she could think about were demons. Sam had told her they were real, but he said she didn't need to fear them, she guessed he was wrong. All consuming fear expanded in her chest, constricting her lungs and stealing away her breath, and she knew the demon has come to take Ruth back to Hell.

It started with a high pitched ringing in her ears, the sound canceling out everything else and soon a white light joined it. Rae felt her eyes watering with its blinding intensity, and wished she could look away, but this may be the last time she ever sees her sister, and she wasn't about to waste it. Soon enough, however, the whiteness was all she could see, an avalanche of light. Just when she thought she couldn't take a second more of this, it was gone. Slumping to the cold cement, she released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, gasping in the freezing air that stabbed the back of her throat like needles. Her eyes still closed, Rae slowly worked up the courage to look and see what was left before her. Wiping away the tears, she peeked out from under her lashes. Still laid out in front of her was her sister, but the one she remembered from before, whole and untouched beneath the gore and blood. She knew that this wasn't the work of a demon, and the opposite of a demon must be an angel.

With the death of Rae's sister had also come the death of her faith in God. She hadn't stopped believing, not after what she had witnessed, but she could no longer bring herself to worship that which had done nothing to help her. Now, looking at the restored body of the most important person in her life, Rae could feel the shattered pieces of her faith beginning to heal. She wass shaken back into reality and out of her thoughts with the sudden onslaught of nurses and doctors. The noise and chaos they brought with them left her reeling and overwhelmed. Shouted questions blurred together until they sounded like nothing more than nonsense, hands grabbed and touched and tried to separate her from Ruth, and she couldn't take another second of it.

"Stop! Just stop.", she shouted, pushing away the probing hands and startling the people they belonged to. "My sister needs help, please just help her. I'm fine, I swear. This isn't my blood. I just need you to take care of my sister." With the proclamation that the blood adorning her was not her own, the full attention of the doctors immediately shifted to the unconscious woman in her lap. In the blink of an eye Ruth had been lifted onto a stretcher, and Rae's ruined red coat had been discarded in favor of clean hospital blankets. She rushed to keep pace with the crowd as they moved swiftly inside and through the white maze of corridors, only to be stopped in front of a set of swinging double doors by the gentle hands of a nurse.

"I'm sorry dear, you can't come any further. I'll have to ask you to wait here, someone should be out soon to check up on you. Why don't you have seat, we'll let you know as soon as we have any news on your sister." Rae wanted to protest, to shove past the doors, the rules be damned. But at that moment she was having trouble doing much of anything. The adrenaline high she had been running on had disappeared rapidly, leaving her feeling unsteady and lightheaded. The gnawing ache she had been feeling low in her belly since waking that morning had been growing and increasing steadily, and she wasn't able to push past it and ignore it any longer. Her entire body was radiating burning hot flashes of heat centering in her abdomen, making her lightheaded while the clawing pain made her unsure if she wanted to pass out or throw up. The nurse was giving her a concerned look, seeming to sense what she was feeling, and Rae couldn't take any more.

Stumbling hastily backwards, she lifted up a hand to ward off the nurse's advances. "Thank you, but I just need a second. I need the bathroom, where is it?" she asked, searching rather desperately for an escape. She just needed a minute alone to calm down and collect her thoughts. She sent the woman a pleading look, silently asking for her to let it go. The nurse's gaze softened and turned sympathetic, probably thinking it was only the stress of her injured sister affecting her, and she directed Rae down the hallway to a door on the right. She barely managed to walk the distance, her legs shaking and her head spinning. Shutting herself inside, Rae let herself slide down the door onto the cold tile floor, no longer able to support herself through the haze of pain. Finally alone, she couldn't hold herself together any longer. Her sobs shook her entire body, and for the first time she not only cried for her sister, but also for herself. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she tried to curl into herself, to stifle the pain she felt emotionally and physically.

She couldn't ignore the fire burning through her stomach any longer, and the stabbing pain made her groan in agony. The edges of her vision fizzled black and started to go blurry. Her skin felt feverish and tight, and sweat started to build on her forehead and slide down her back. Her heart raced, fluttering like a trapped bird in her chest and she panted in her effort to suck in enough air. She clutched her coat in her hands so hard that she felt fingernails break from the pressure. But the pain just kept getting worse, intensifying to the point that she wondered if she was dying. The stray thought that Sam hadn't told her about this floated through her mind, but dashed away again as quickly as it came. The thudding of the door on its hinges made her realize that she was rocking, and abruptly it's all too much. Rae couldn't hold the darkness at bay any longer. She slumped bonelessly to the ground, the cold floor a relief to her scorching skin. It was only then, before she slipped away, that she noticed the puddle of blood pooling beneath her, seeping out from under her dress, staining everything it touched.

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Please Review.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Its still not mine, and probably not yours either.

Author's Note: So...I pretty much just changed the entire ending of this chapter. I had some serious writer's block going on and I decided that the only cure was a chapter that sucked a little less. This is the result. To any of you who have been following this fic, thank you and I'm sorry if I've made a mess of things, but I'm really much happier now.

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The Red Caress

Chapter 11

For once, Sam couldn't distinguish the look on his brother's face. The room was oppressively silent, and Dean was staring at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Sam shifted around self consciously, uncomfortable that he wasn't able to predict how Dean would react. Deciding to make the first move, he fumbled for the right words.

"So…" Dragging the word out, he squinted once again at Dean's face, hoping for some type of reaction. Finally, Dean closed his mouth and sat up straighter, drawing in a deep breath through flared nostrils. No doubt in preparation to ream Sam a new one. Sam hastily stood up, preparing to defend himself for whatever Dean had planned for him. Instead, Sam was shocked to see Dean's head bow, a fisted hand coming up to cover his mouth, his shoulders beginning to tremble and shake.

For one wild moment, Sam actually thought his brother might be crying, but then he realized what was actually happening. He was being laughed at. His brother, who he had just saved from an eternity in Hell, was laughing at him. And he didn't even have the decency to try and hide it. It started with a few guffaws of sound escaping through Dean's clenched lips, snorts of amusement making their way out periodically. Soon enough however, a rich, deep, roaring laughter came pouring out. Sam hadn't heard Dean laugh like this, a laugh that came deep from within his chest, since they were children, before their father and Stanford had come between them. Tears were leaking from the corners of Dean's eyes, and he had rolled back onto the bed, unable, it would seem, to hold himself together any longer. Finally, the laughter started to subside, if Sam was interpreting the gasps for air correctly.

Sitting back down on his bed, Sam crossed his arms and waited for Dean to gain some semblance of control over himself. "This is so like you Dean, I save your ass from Hell and all you can do is laugh. You'd think you could be just a little bit grateful for what I did. You're unbelievable!" Standing back up, he began to pace between the beds. "I spend every second of every day, for months, trying to help you, and this is the thanks I get. This isn't funny Dean, this is our lives. And not just ours, but Rae's too. We gave up a lot for you, the least you could do is not laugh in my face." He finished his speech with an indignant huff and a glare at Dean.

By this time Dean had quieted down and was merely smiling at Sam with that indulgent look he always got when he thought Sam was doing his best little brother impression. Sam hated that look. "Sammy, don't get me wrong, I'm damn glad you sprung me from the pit, but only you could manage to do that and get hitched at the same time. So tell me, how was your first time? I hope she took good care of you." He let out a gale of what sounded suspiciously like giggles, before settling down into a few chuckles and letting his face settle into a dopey smile. As much as Sam wanted to be pissed at Dean's amusement, he couldn't help but see the hilarity of the situation he had gotten himself into. Besides, he hadn't even had Dean back a full day yet, he wasn't about to start fighting already.

Letting a smile of his own make its way to his face, Sam socked a friendly punch to Dean's shoulder. "Man, Shut up." He had missed this, he hadn't even realized how much until right now. Seeing Dean like this, it felt like he had just woken from a nightmare, and these last long months had all been a figment of his overactive imagination. It was almost painful how much Sam wished that were true. Dean seemed to sense his abrupt shift of emotion, and seriousness once again descended on them.

"Okay, so let me just make sure I understand everything. You're married, I'm out of Hell, and that's it. We don't have any demons chasing after us to drag me back to hell, or upset wives after you. I mean, is this it? It all just seems a little too easy to me. I mean a marriage ceremony, really? That's the key to escaping Hell. I think if it were that simple a shit ton more people would be making deals, and be walking around to tell about it." Dean stated, the skepticism clear in his voice.

It was a valid point, but unfortunately, it was one that Sam didn't know the right answer to. "Truthfully, I have no idea what's going to happen now. I was kind of stuck on the 'you being in Hell' part. The ritual I found never mentioned any repercussions, it didn't say a lot about anything really. All I know is that it gave me the instructions on how to save a soul from Hell, that's it. But all that matters is that you're out, we can deal with the rest as it comes. We always do." But in the back of his mind, so small that it was easy enough at the moment for Sam to ignore, he knew that they were well and truly screwed. They were Winchesters after all.

Dean seemed to have reached the same conclusion. "Well it's too late to stop you from doing something stupid,", and Dean paused here to give Sam another exasperated look, but continued, "so I figure we better wise up while we still can. I think our best shot is going to Bobby, and I think we need to do it A.S.A.P. Besides, after that little debacle with the tent, it can't hurt to be as far from the cops as possible. And that was some really amateur shit you pulled, too. When do we ever leave equipment behind? That was just asking for trouble." Dean finished his rant with a pointed look at Sam, daring him to explain his way out of this one.

A sheepish look on his face, Sam realized he hadn't quite finished filling Dean in on that day's events. "Uh, so you know how you're all bandaged up? Well there's actually a really good reason for that. You weren't exactly in this good of condition when we found you. And the handprint's new, too." he added, as an afterthought.

"Then how about you fill me in on all the details." Dean said with a hard edge to his voice. So Sam told him. About his wounds and Ruth's, the angel called Castiel, and everything in between. Dean, as expected, did not take the news well.

"I don't know what you think you saw, or what that thing told you, but it wasn't an angel. Angels don't exist Sam. This just means we're in more trouble than we thought. What the hell could get past all of our protections, or heal me? They're playing mind games with us Sammy, we can't let them get to us." Dean said all this seeming rather unfocused, his eyes roaming the room until they spotted the weapons bag and their duffels in the far corner of the room. Getting up, he dropped to his knees and began digging around for his clothes, pulling out his favorite black Metallica t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans. He managed to pull on his pants without problem, but the bandages were giving him problems with his top. "A little help?", he asked, his voice muffled behind the material. Sam made his way over, pulling his knife out as he went. Hacking his way easily through the wrappings, he finally freed Dean.

Finally dressed, Dean leaned back down and rooted around in the other bag until he found what he was looking for. Pulling out his favorite gun, along with his usual small arsenal of knives, he methodically armed himself until he was so full of metal he would sink like a rock if he were to step foot off a boat. He did, however, seem much more comfortable than he had all day. Sam knew he was the same way about his weapons, and he didn't need to be told how sad of a fact that was.

Standing back up, Dean patted his pockets, appearing content. "Alright, you ready to get this show on the road?" he asked, snatching up the keys to the Impala from their place on the table. "And, you better have taken care of my baby, or you're gonna get your ass kicked." Looking to Sam for confirmation, he saw that they weren't yet on the same page.

"Uh, I still need to call Rae and check up on her. We haven't talked since I left her at the hospital and it might be a while until we come back to town." Sam explained, already pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Come back? Sam, when do we ever come back? Why would we come back, you saved the girl, end of story.", Dean said, not seeming to understand what Sam was trying to say.

"Dean, we're married, she's my wife." Sam replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "This is forever. I mean, me and Rae didn't really talk about would happen with us afterwards, but we're stuck with each other. So we can either be alone for the rest of our lives or try and figure out what we want from each other. And I for one don't want to be alone if I don't have to. So yes, I plan to come back, if she wants me to that is."

"Is that it then, are you done hunting? You bring me back just to leave and go live your apple pie life?" Dean accused him. Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. He spends nine months doing nothing but trying to save his brother, and Dean actually thinks that he would immediately abandon him.

"Dean, of course I'm going to keep hunting. I realized and accepted that this was my life a long time ago. But in this case, I can't just think about myself. Rae gave up any chance of a real husband or children when she agreed to help me with this, I owe her. And I don't know, maybe she'll tell me that she never wants to see me again, but I at least have to ask and find out. But Dean, hunting is my full time job, you're stuck with me.", Sam explained.

Dean took it all in silently, giving Sam a long assessing stare. Clearing his throat, he swiped an embarrassed hand across his mouth, but Sam still caught the small grin he had been trying to hide. "Right. Well, can we finish up this chick flick moment, I'm about ready to choke on all the estrogen floating around in here."

Smiling to himself, Sam nodded his head in agreement and led the way out the door. Before Dean could get more than a foot away, Sam surprised him and shot out a hand to grip his arm. "Don't think this is the end of our conversation, though. We still haven't discussed your half of the story. I told you the truth, and I expect the same from you." Dean just rolled his eyes before removing his arm.

"Hell may have done a lot of things to me Sammy, but erasing my memory of you and your love for touchy feely conversations was not one of them. Bitch.", he said, with just the slightest hint of a smile, before he slid into the car and slammed the door shut without another word.

Sam took the hint and shut up. "Jerk.", he couldn't resist adding.

Rae turned over in bed and decided that had to be the strangest dream she had ever had. This had been nothing like her usual dreams of vivid colors and disjointed action. This time her vision had been veiled, dark shadows and swath s of scarlet warring for dominance. Unlike her usual experiences, it was as if she could not think, but only feel. Surges of overwhelming protectiveness and fierce rage mixed with wonder and awe. She wondered what it all meant.

Restlessly flipping over again, Rae was halted by painful pulls on her arms. Coming fully awake, she opened her eyes only to find herself in what she could only assume was her own private hospital room. Depressingly white walls surrounded her, with a multitude of beeping and whirring machines next to her bed and all connected to her. Sitting up, Rae saw that she had been stripped of her bloody dress and been washed and dressed in a clean hospital gown. An IV of clear fluid was feeding into the veins of her right hand, while a her left side was connected to what she could only guess were devices for measuring her heart rate and blood pressure. She was not able to investigate further, for at that moment a nurse bustled into the room.

"Well hello Miss. We didn't expect you to wake up so soon, the sedatives should have kept you out for another couple hours at least. But don't you worry, I'll get the doctor and have you straightened out in not time." The nurse, an average sized middle aged woman, said all this in a very soft and quite voice, her tone and expression hinting at something that made Rae confused and uncomfortable. The woman disappeared into the hallway, only to reappear moments later with a white coated man in tow.

Before they reached the bed, Rae was already spouting out questions. "How long have I been here? What happened? Is my sister all right, have my parents been called? I need to see Ruth right away, can you give me back my clothes, or maybe some scrubs?" She was already half way out of bed, before the doctor pushed her firmly back on to her pillows.

Smiling down at Rae in a kindly but cautious manner, the doctor quickly flipped through the pages on his clipboard before speaking. "Why don't we start with your name miss? You didn't have any identification on you, nor did the other young lady you say is your sister. We can contact your family right away, I'm sure they're very worried about you both."

"Uh, well I'm Rae Montgomery and my sister is Ruth." She said, giving them her parents contact information, but nothing else. She debated for a moment about whether or not to tell them about her sister's circumstances, but figured that it would all be out in the open soon enough.

After sending the nurse out to place the call, the doctor continued, "You were found on the bathroom floor this morning by an orderly. You were lucky he spotted the blood seeping out from under the door or you may have been lying there until it was too late to get you help. You lost quite a bit of blood, and had to be given a transfusion, but luckily you stabilized after receiving it. We also started you on fluids as well as some mild sedatives and painkillers. You were in the beginning stages of dehydration and were starting to go into shock. Because of the nature of the blood loss, you were given a vaginal exam as well as an ultra sound." He paused for a moment, assessing how well she was understanding what he was telling her.

Rae nodded for him to continue. "And what did you find?" She thought she might know where the doctor was heading, and it wasn't good.

"The ultrasound revealed severe damage to your uterus and ovaries. I've never seen or heard of anything like it. Both ovaries had ruptured, and your uterus looked as though it had been through a meat grinder to put it bluntly. If I didn't know better I would have thought you had been mutilated, except that you show not a single exterior injury that could have caused this. You were lucky that the wounds no longer pose a threat to your health. The bleeding has stopped, and it seems that they will heal nicely on their own, so no surgery will be necessary. If I hadn't seen you before first hand, looking at you now I would have guessed that your injury was weeks old. It really is remarkable. The vaginal exam, however, revealed slight trauma as well as semen. Given the nature of your injury the police have been contacted, and need you to give a formal statement. A rape kit was done and the results are being assessed as we speak."

Rae was shocked into silence and the doctor mistook the fear he saw in her eyes, thinking he had hid on the truth. "Now don't worry, the police will take good care of you and your sister. We won't let whoever did this to you hurt you again."

"The police! Doctor, you have it all wrong, I wasn't raped, nothing happened to me. I was just bringing my sister to the hospital, she's the one that needs help." Rae could feel herself starting to panic, so much for secrecy.

"Miss Montgomery, I know how difficult this must be for you, but if you want the monster who did this to you to be caught, to pay for his crimes, you need to have the courage to tell the truth. You don't need to be afraid, we have an armed guard in front of both you and your sister's rooms. Maybe I didn't explain this well enough to you, the damage you suffered has left you sterile and unable to ever carry a child to term. You won't ever be able to have children of your own." Rae could hear the pity in his voice. She didn't want it, and she sure as hell didn't need it.

"Yes, I understand that. It is very unfortunate that the stress of finding my sister caused me to have such a severe and unexpected reaction, but as you said doctor, there were no physical causes to be found. As for the rest, I am twenty two years old, an adult. And as such, I have a right to my privacy. I can only assume that your nurse will have the discretion not to discuss my personal information with my parents. I expect it to stay that way. You no doubt understand the consequences of going against my wishes as well as the sacred doctor-patient confidentiality." Rae spoke calmly and controlled, leaving no room for argument.

"What you are going to do now is apologize to the police officer for the silly mistake you made. You are going to write in my file exactly what I have just told you; stress and uncontrollable factors led to this unfortunate series of events. After I leave this room you are to never again discuss, hint at, or even acknowledge my existence to anyone, unless you would like a very large lawsuit. You will have the bill sent to my home address, and nowhere else. Have I made myself clear?" The stunned face of the doctor and nurse was all the answer Rae needed. "Very good. Now, would you be so kind as to fetch me some clean clothes to wear. Oh, and I would like everything you took from me as well." But if Rae had thought she could intimidate the man she was sorely mistaken.

Looking grim, with all hints of kindness gone from his face, he spoke again. "Obviously I haven't made myself clear enough. The police guard at your door is not only for your protection, but also to keep you under surveillance. The circumstances of your arrival were extremely suspicious by themselves, but combined with the news of a possible kidnapping and murder that took place nearby and the timing of your arrival, I thought it best to get the police involved. Frankly, the question of rape is the least of my concerns. You are confined to this room until the police arrive and investigate, until that time I suggest you stay in bed and get your story straight." And with that he swept from the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

Rae sank back onto the bed. Her entire body trembled and shook, and she felt like she was close to tears. Never in her life had she talked to anyone like that, or been talked to that way, and it was an experience she didn't care to repeat. Closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, she willed herself calm. She needed to decide what her new cover story would be, because obviously her previous plan had gone down the drain. By the time the nurse returned she was well on her way to regaining her control over herself. The woman cautiously placed a folded pair of blue cotton scrubs at the foot of the bed. She left without having said a word or looking Rae directly in the eyes.

Not wanting to face the police in a flimsy backless hospital gown, Rae gently removed the needle from her arm, wincing at the unpleasant sensation. Unstrapping the arm band and tugging off the finger clamp, she cautiously slid off of the bed. She cautiously laid a hand to abdomen, applying a gentle pressure. There was no pain or tenderness, it was as if nothing had happened. Deciding to leave this mystery for another time, she slipped out of the hospital gown and quickly into the scrubs. They hadn't given her any underwear, and she mentally reprimanded herself for being worried about a thing like underwear at a time like this. Finished dressing, she took a careful look around the room, resting her eyes on the window. Walking over she pushed the curtain aside to find that the sky had darkened. She had slept the day away.

Peering into the frosty night, Rae knew she had precious little time to figure out her next move. With the police arriving any moment and no way to escape the confines of her room, she had only one option available. Turning to look at the phone lying on her bedside table, she silently gave herself a pat on the back. She knew it had been a good idea to memorize Sam's cell phone number. Picking up the receiver, she prayed to hear a dial tone. Her heart gave a jolt when she heard the buzzing and she quickly punched in the number, holding her breath when she heard it start to ring. "Come on Sam, pick up…pick up." She whispered.

"Rae? I was just about to call you. Are you still at the hospital? How's Ruth doing, you didn't get visited by a guy in a trench coat did you?" Sam asked these questions without pausing for breath, and he would have continued had Rae not interrupted.

"Sam!" she pleaded, and continued when she heard him pause. "Sam, we're in trouble."

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Please let me know what you think of the changes, it might make the next chapter come all that much sooner! :)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own it and I'm still poor, what a shame.

Author's Note: I would apologize for my extremely long absence, but while I have a ton of legitimate and compelling reasons for why I haven't updated, the main reason was that I just didn't have the motivation. I had, and truthfully still have, terrible writer's block and I just can't find the will to figure out where I want this to go. I've had this chapter written for months. I was planning to write more before I posted it, but it's looking like that won't happen for a while. I'm not giving up, but I can't make any promises as to when this will ever be updated, let alone finished. So if there is anyone out there who is still reading, sorry!

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Chapter 12

There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line. Rae could just barely make out the faint sound of deep breaths being drawn slowly in, held for a long moment, and then released with tight control. She wondered if Sam was angry with her, that she had gotten into trouble so quickly after he left, or maybe that she had called him at all. He had sounded surprised, but not displeased, to hear from her when he had first picked up, and she thought he had been concerned about her and Ruth, but this silence made her nervous. Should she not have bothered him with her troubles? She knew he had plenty of his own problems to deal with and she didn't mean to add more to his already full plate, but this concerned him just as much as it did her. Finally, he spoke.

"Then I guess you better tell me what happened." His voice now was calm, but there was a hint of gruffness that belied his worry. Sam was trying to stay calm for her.

Rae cleared her throat before she answered, but she wasn't able to keep a tremor of fear from escaping. "Sam, I think I'm going to be arrested." The tears that had been building in her eyes slipped free, but she swiped an impatient hand across her cheeks and drew in a shaky breath, trying to regain control over herself. She didn't have time to fall apart now.

"After the doctors took Ruth I passed out, and then they had to admit me too." She didn't pause to explain exactly what had happened to her, not wanting to think about it too closely and knowing that Sam was surely smart enough to work it out for himself. She continued on, "And that wouldn't have been so bad, except they did an examination and they think I was raped. I tried to tell them I hadn't been, but they already did the rape kit and I'm worried that they'll match it to you."

Rae wished they had remembered to use a condom, especially after she had gone through the embarrassment of buying them and suffering through the smirking look the teenage cashier had given her. She hadn't expected to get so caught up in the heat of the moment, and truthfully she hadn't expected there to be any heat at all, only awkwardness and embarrassment. Normally she would have been worried about getting knocked up and contracting an STD, but considering the circumstances she only had concern for Sam. Sam's journal had included a few brief mentions of jail stints and police investigations, but it had been her own research online that had informed her about the brothers' status on the FBI's most wanted list. It was at that point that if she hadn't already invested herself in saving Ruth, and considered herself to be a good judge of character, she would have called the cops. How had she managed to get involved with a man who was considered to be dead, who had been dead, and by all rights still should be?

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Rae persisted with her news. "And it's going to be impossible to keep this from my parents since the doctor is calling them right now. Sam, there is no way this is going to stay secret like we planned. But that's not even the worst part. I have a police guard outside my door, and more officers are coming to question me, and probably arrest me too. They think I was involved in a murder. The doctor said that the times matched up or something, and me and Ruth coming in all covered in blood didn't help I'm sure, but I think they must have found the tent because there was so much blood everywhere there too, and maybe that's why they think someone died?"

To this question Sam responded. "Oh they found the tent all right. I guess you haven't had a chance to catch the news? It's splashed over every station, they're calling it a satanic ritual," he said with a snort, then added, "although I guess they aren't totally wrong."

"But Sam, they didn't know who I was before. I didn't have any ID on me, but that's because I forgot it in my purse, at the tent." And with that damning piece of evidence there was absolutely no way that she could plausibly deny that she had been there.

Sam seemed to be ahead of Rae already, and he replied with a plan. "No, you aren't going to deny that you were there. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this, not so soon after getting Dean back, but I won't endanger you. This is my fault and I have a plan." Rae had the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to like this new course of action, but there was steel in Sam's voice that made her think that arguing wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Alright, what should I tell them then?" She asked warily.

"The truth." Sam answered succinctly. Rae couldn't believe that she had heard him correctly.

"The truth." She repeated. "You want me to tell them the truth? Are you crazy? That will only make them think that I'm crazy, again, or at the very best that I'm an extremely bad liar." This had to be the worst plan she had ever heard.

"Ok, you're going to tell them the truth minus a few important details." Sam conceded. "Let the police know everything that happened, but fail to mention that you willingly went along with it." It took Rae a minute to understand what he was telling her.

"You want them to believe that you made me do all that against my will?" Her scathing tone made it perfectly clear what she thought about that.

Sam seemed to understand her resistance to the idea and hurried to reassure her. "Rae, this isn't the first time that I've been on the wrong side of the law. I can handle it. I told you that I have a plan, and I do. I don't plan on getting caught. I promise you, I'll be fine. You shouldn't worry, the police aren't so stupid that they won't figure out that they were wrong about a murder, they'll clear up everything with you in no time."

"Sam I really don't think that's a good idea. There has to be a better way. What if-," but Rae's voice suddenly cut off.

At that moment the sound of voices carried through the door and Rae knew that their time was up. "They're here Sam! Get as far away as you can, and don't call me. Throw away your phone before they trace it. I'll find a way to get in touch when it's safe." She hung up before he could respond and jumped into bed just as the door opened to reveal a man in a dark suit followed by two uniformed officers. The sharp gleam of metal drew her eyes down to the officers' handcuffs. Even worse than that, all three men wore guns holstered on their belts, and Rae's heart sped up at the sight.

"Miss Montgomery." The man in front said slowly, with a predatory gleam in his eye as he glanced at the phone beside her. His voice was soft but cold and Rae stayed silent, afraid to speak. He reached a hand into his suit jacket and pulled out a badge, flipping it open and shut too quickly for her to see it clearly. "I'm agent Holmes of the FBI."

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As always, please read and review...even though I know I don't deserve it.


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